Turkish Cypriot PM crosses border

Talat (right) is keen to take Turkish Cyprus into the EU in May

The Turkish Cypriot prime minister has crossed the border to the south to press for a "yes" vote in this month's unity referendum.

But as he did so the Turkish army said there might be "serious problems" in implementing the peace deal.

Opinion polls suggest Turkish Cypriots will vote "yes" but Greek Cypriots will reject the settlement.

On Tuesday a Greek Cypriot minister resigned, in protest at his president's rejection of the plan.

Mehmet Ali Talat, prime minister of the self-declared Turkish state in the north of the island, supports the UN peace plan which goes to the vote on both sides of the border on 24 April.

First visit

In the first such visit to the Republic by a Turkish Cypriot prime minister since the island was divided in 1974, he visited officials from the two largest Greek Cypriot political parties - the communist Akel and the right-wing Disy party.

Akel originally said it would back a "yes" vote, but is now pushing for a postponement because of opposition from its members.

Mr Talat urged the party to back unification. "We have managed to arrive at a plan to which we could easily say 'yes' and I believe that a 'yes' easily applies to both Greek and Turkish Cypriots," he said.

Say what you have to say in Cyprus Recep Tayyip Erdogan, referring to Rauf Denktash

But his attempts were undermined by comments from the Turkish military.

Although Turkey itself is supporting the plan, General Hilmi Ozkok, chief of its powerful General Staff, said it fell short of their demands.

Although he said there were positive sides to the proposals, it is thought the army objects because it would mean scaling back its presence in Cyprus.

Meanwhile a simmering rift between Turkey and the veteran Turkish Cypriot President Rauf Denktash exploded into public anger.

Rebuke

Pro-plan Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rebuked Mr Denktash for using Turkish soil to denounce the blueprint.

"If something is to be done, please do that in Cyprus. Say what you have to say in Cyprus," Mr Erdogan told journalists in remarks reported by semi-official news agency Anatolia.

Greek Cypriots have been urged by their leader to vote "no"

"I am watching - unfortunately with regret - the meetings that the president of the (self-styled) Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is holding together with some marginal groups in Turkey and I told him (Mr Denktash) that," Mr Erdogan said.

Ankara's backing for the plan is seen by analysts to be partly because it wants to boost its own chances of EU membership.

If either community votes "no" on 24 April, then the whole of Cyprus will still technically join the EU on 1 May, but membership will in effect apply only in the Greek sector.

That would leave the already-poorer Turkish Cypriots without the benefits of membership.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded in response to a short-lived Greek Cypriot coup.

The plan has run into increasing trouble on the Greek Cypriot side of the divide, where President Tassos Papadopoulos has already urged a "no" vote.

Every effort must be made to reject any plan that does not safeguard human rights and the basic freedoms of all the legal citizens of Cyprus in all its territory Greek Orthodox Church proclamation

Cypriot Communications Minister Kikis Kazamias announced his resignation on Tuesday, citing his disagreement with Mr Papadopoulos' stance.

The Synod of the Greek Orthodox Cyprus Church also urged people to vote "no", in an Easter Day proclamation.

"Every effort must be made to reject any plan that does not safeguard human rights and the basic freedoms of all the legal citizens of Cyprus in all its territory," the proclamation said.