Opposition backs plan
On Cyprus, the main Greek-Cypriot opposition party, Democratic Rally (DISY), voted by 77.6 percent to 21.3 percent at a national congress late on Thursday to support UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s plan in the April 24 referendum. This means that center-right DISY is the most prominent voice in favor of a «yes» vote, while a large majority of voters appears to be headed for a «no.» DISY leader Nikos Anastasiades said that a lot of work had to be done to change the situation. «We must not ignore the counsels and exhortations of the United Nations, the European Union and the superpowers,» he said. «We cannot whistle nonchalantly when we see the country being led to destruction.» The Cypriot government spokesman, Kypros Chrysostomides, said Nicosia was satisfied with Greek PM Costas Karamanlis’s statement on Thursday in which he said Athens believed the plan could be more positive than bad in light of Cyprus’s EU accession. «Various opinions have been heard, this is not a civil war,» Chrysostomides said.
