UN issues revised Cyprus peace plan

Cypriot leaders are being asked for "urgent" response

The United Nations has issued a revised version of its peace plan for Cyprus - urging almost immediate agreement on it.

This document is the old document - our suspicions and concerns regarding our status, sovereignty and equality are continuing

Rauf Denktash

But Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash rejected the new document within hours, said Turkish news agency Anatolia.

The document was delivered to the island's Greek and Turkish leaders on Tuesday, nearly a month after the first draft was unveiled.

The plan calls for the Turkish Cypriots - who hold the north of the island - to give up parts of their territory, while the Greek Cypriots would have to accept that not all refugees could return to their homes.

The revised plan is thought to have been released to try to smooth Cyprus' entry into the European Union, due to be finalised at this week's summit in Copenhagen.

Cyprus has a rendezvous with history...it should not be missed

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to Cypriot leaders

UN envoy Alvaro de Soto presented the new document to Mr Denktash and Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides in separate meetings in Nicosia.

"I hope the sides will sign the new document today," Mr De Soto was quoted as saying by Anatolia.

But Mr Denktash was reported as saying that the changes did not go far enough to meet Turkish Cypriot demands.

"This document is the old document," he told demonstrators via a telephone link.

"Our suspicions and concerns regarding our status, sovereignty and equality are continuing."

A UN statement said the document was revised following "intensive consultations" with the two sides participating in the negotiations, which had been stepped up in the past few days.

"In his letter, the secretary-general asked the two leaders to give the revision the most urgent consideration with a view to reaching a decisive conclusion this week, so that a reunited Cyprus may accede to the European Union," the statement said.

Both men are being asked to be ready for possible talks in Copenhagen.

Details secret

"'Cyprus has a rendezvous with history,' the secretary-general said in his letter to the two leaders. It should not be missed," the statement added.

But in a further gloomy sign, the Turkish Cypriot side said Mr Denktash was to be admitted to hospital for a new operation, only weeks after undergoing heart surgery, and would be too unwell to travel to Copenhagen.

No details were released by the UN about the changes made to the peace plan.

But Greek Cypriot officials told Reuters news agency they believed only minor changes had been made.

Reports said there were small changes to the number of Greek Cypriots who would be able to return to their homes, and a cut in the number of troops allowed on the island.

The period of a proposed transitional presidency was cut from three years to 30 months, the reports said.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded after a short-lived Greek-inspired coup.

Turkish Cypriots still run their self-declared republic in the north, but only Turkey recognises its existence.

The UN plan envisages a Swiss-style confederation of two equal states.