Turkish Cypriot PM Rallies Vote for UN Reunification Plan

Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat on Wednesday made an appeal for an end to northern Cyprus' isolation. Speaking in Brussels, Talat called on both the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities to vote "yes" in their referendums on the United Nations unification plan on April 24. He said it would be unfair if the Turkish part of the island were to still be isolated if the Greek side rejects the plan. "The Greek side has the right to say no, but it has no right to keep the Turkish Cypriots as hostages," he said. While both Cypriot presidents, Tassos Papadopoulos on the Greek side and Rauf Denktash in the Turkish north, have called on their people to reject the plan, Talat believes that the Turkish population will support it. Thousands of Turkish Cypriots rallied on Wednesday in favor of the UN plan, but polls suggest that Greek Cypriots are likely to reject it by a large margin. (EUobserver.com)