Turkish Cypriots protest against unity plan plan

Hopes of a lasting settlement to reunify Cyprus were dealt a possibly terminal blow last night when the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, infuriated opponents by blocking a parliamentary decision on whether a UN peace plan should be put to a referendum.

Pro-Denktash members of the Turkish Cypriot assembly boycotted the session, depriving it of a quorum, after tens of thousands of demonstrators had earlier taken to the streets of Nicosia in a show of support for the Turkish Cypriot leader. Mr Denktash intends to block the proposed settlement, which Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, has made clear he believes provides a unique opportunity to reunify the island.

But Mr Denktash will tell Mr Annan in The Hague on Monday that he rejects putting the proposals to a referendum. The Turkish government disappointed the UN and Western allies, including Britain, by failing to clearly and publicly urge the ageing North Cyprus leader to accept the deal.

Although police estimated that up to 40,000 Denktash supporters attended yesterday's demonstration, about 70,000 people demonstrated in favour of the UN plan in January.

Many senior diplomats and observers believe that Turkish Cypriots, as well as their Greek Cypriot counterparts, would vote for the UN terms if they had a chance. Pro-settlement Turkish Cypriot candidates won decisive victories in the last round of local elections, casting doubt on the long-term survival of Mr Denktash's supporters in the Northern Cyprus assembly if he vetoes a referendum. Some supporters of the plan claimed yesterday that the numbers marching yesterday had been bolstered by settlers from Turkey and even by officers in plain clothes from the large Turkish garrison in the town.

One estimate in Ankara had been that more than half the assembly members were inclined to back the referendum unless there was clear opposition from the Turkish government. Monday's meeting is crucial because a deal on the plan ­ which envisages wide autonomy for the Turkish Cypriots within a loose federation ­ would pave the way for a newly unified Cyprus to join the EU in May of next year. Although the new Greek Cypriot leader, Tassos Papadopoulos, has also raised objections to the plan, he will be under probably irresistible pressure to accept it, because even if the Turkish Cypriots oppose the plan, Greek-controlled Cyprus can still be admitted on its own.

The Turkish military and other elements of the state, including the President, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, have tended to back Mr Denktash. Some Turkish officials argued yesterday that the plan would have been more acceptable had the EU been prepared to set an earlier date than 2005 for the opening of Turkey's accession talks with the EU.

Turkish politicians in favour of a Cyprus deal, including Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the ruling Justice and Development Party, are also reluctant to promote another controversial policy when they face the even more unpopular step of trying again to win parliamentary approval for US troops to invade Iraq from Turkey.