Rallies for and against a UN plan to reunite Cyprus took place on both sides of the divided capital yesterday and a bicommunal "Yes" talkathon was held at the old Ledra Palace hotel in the UN buffer zone.
At midnight campaigning for and against the UN plan was meant to stop to give Greek and Turkish Cypriots a day to reflect on their choice ahead of tomorrow's referendum on the plan.
The Turkish Cypriot "Hayir", or no rally, was thronged with several thousand people waving hundreds of red and white flags of Turkey and the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state. People were also crammed onto the rooftops of multi-storied buildings surrounding the square.
Mr Ahmet Otuken, president of the Turkish Cypriot Trade Unions, said, "I don't like the Annan plan. In the past, the two communities harmed each other. We cannot bring them together."
Mr Vedat Fellahoglu, a former police sergeant, explained the meaning of hayir. "It means 'no' to something that is laid down. The Annan plan is laid down. We don't want the Annan plan because it means enosis \ with the Greek Cypriots. But they don't want to live with us. They burnt 103 [Turkish Cypriot] villages in 1963 and drove out the people. We don't trust Greeks. Since the Turkish army occupied the north in 1974, no one was killed."
Mr Selim Ozdur, another refugee from Paphos, agreed, "The UN did not protect us in 1963 . . . how can we accept the Annan plan. Blood will flow again."
Wandering round the fringes of the crowd were women in long skirts and men in woolly round caps - the attire of settlers from the Turkish mainland. A youth estimated that 80 per cent of those gathered were settlers. For the most part, the rest were elderly people fixated on the past.
The massive "Evet" or yes rally took place at Ataturk Square and flowed into the adjacent streets. Boys wearing green vests proclaiming evet circulated through the crowd of cheerful men, women and children. Peace doves were on flags, buttons and stickers. Many carried the blue EU flag with its golden stars, others bore banners in different colours. Nationalism was, clearly, not the theme. Mr Ercan Hoskara of the pro-plan Communal Liberation Party understood the reluctance of Greek Cypriots to vote for the plan. "They have the republic and don't want to give it up. They are also afraid that Denktash will block \ of a solution. But there is a new government in Turkey. The Turkish Cypriots and Turkey are joined in a new synergy." "Evet" represents the future.
At the Ledra Palace function, Dr Ahmet Djavit, a Turkish Cypriot pediatritian and veteran peace activist, explained why he favours the plan. "It has been my long term goal to bring the Turkish and Greek Cypriots together. Since last April we have contact, we can talk and understand each other." The idea that the Greek Cypriots are likely to reject the Annan plan does not disturb him. "We did not prepare this plan although there were some contributions from both sides. We must do it on our own."
Mr Kutlay Erk, the mayor of the Turkish Cypriot sector of Nicosia, is convinced the Cypriots will continue to strive for a settlement. "There will be new developments by the end of the year. The Cyprus problem is like a bicycle, you have to keep pedaling."
And indeed it seemed last night that the pedalling would continue. During a televised interview Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos, head of the "Oxi" or no camp in the republic, which is set to join the EU on May 1st, said that he wanted to renegotiate on the basis of the Annan plan. He rejected accusations that he was trying to "bury the plan" and said that the Security Council would decide whether new negotiations could take place.