Reunification rejected

Nicosia, Cyprus

The effort to reunite Cyprus collapsed this week when voters on the Greek side of the Mediterranean island rejected a United Nations peace plan. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded to stop Greece from annexing the entire island. Turkish Cypriots had backed reunification, hoping to end an embargo imposed after they broke away. “It’s time to put an end to this,” said Rauf Denktash, a leader on the Turkish side. But Greek Cypriots said the U.N. plan, pitched by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, didn’t do enough to protect their right to return to homes abandoned during the fighting. Now Cyprus will enter the European Union divided, on May 1, with the Turkish side excluded.