Poll: Greece divided on Cyprus vote
A nationwide poll has found that Greeks are almost evenly split on whether Greek Cypriots should accept the Annan plan for Cyprus’s reunification, while most feel that a «no» vote by Greek Cypriots and a «yes» by Turkish Cypriots will damage Greece’s interests. The poll, conducted for Mega Channel by the Opinion company among 900 people on Monday, found that 44 percent believe the Greek Cypriots should reject the plan and 40 percent think they should accept it. Significantly, 49 percent said they believed Cyprus should not be tied to Greek-Turkish relations, while 41 percent said the two were completely connected. This suggests that the public has adopted Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis’s uncoupling of Cyprus from Greek-Turkish relations, as he announced last week. A plurality of Greeks (44 percent) feels that Greece’s interests will be harmed if the Greek Cypriots reject the plan and the Turkish Cypriots accept it. Only 13 percent believe Greece would benefit in this case. Also, 50 percent believe that Cyprus is Greece’s main national priority, while 43 percent disagree. Karamanlis had an approval rating of 60 percent for his position on Cyprus, whereas Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos, who is opposed to the Annan plan, received 54 percent, and PASOK leader George Papandreou, who supports the plan, received 45 percent.
