Greek Cypriots dash confederation plan

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NICOSIA, Cyprus -- In a major blow to international hopes, Greek Cypriots yesterday in a referendum massively rejected a U.N. plan to unite the island torn by more than three decades of ethnic division.

In a separate referendum that widened the rift that has plagued Cyprus virtually since the end of British colonial rule in 1960, Turkish Cypriots accepted the blueprint for a confederation of two "constituent states" on the strategic Mediterranean island.

According to returns released last night, some 75.9 percent of Greek-Cypriot voters rejected the plan, which bore the personal stamp of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, while just less than 65 percent of Turkish Cypriots approved it.

The vote of the Turkish minority will have no impact on the immediate future of Cyprus, which will remain divided. Only the Greek-Cypriot part will enter the European Union, as scheduled, on May 1, leaving the Turkish Cypriots in an isolated rump state recognized only by Turkey.

The Turkish Cypriots did not participate in negotiations with the European Union, but many of them saw the unification plan as a path to membership.

European Union officials did not hide their disappointment at a result that greatly complicates the enlargement process next month.

"The political damage is large," EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen said. "There's now a shadow over Cyprus' membership."

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States was also "disappointed" at the Greek-Cypriot vote.

"Failure of the referendum in the Greek-Cypriot community is a setback to the hopes of those on the island who voted for the settlement and to the international community," he said.