JURIST - Paper Chase: Annan to intercede in Cyprus reunification as Greece-Turkey talks fail

Turkish and Greek negotiators failed to agree Wednesday on a plan to reunify Cyprus ahead of its entry into the EU. The failure to come to an agreement has left UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan with the task of formalizing a plan and putting it to the voters of the divided island. The plan must be approved by both sides for reunification and entry into the EU to occur. Cyprus split into two areas, the Greek controlled south and the Turkish controlled north, when Turkey invaded the island in 1974 to quell a coup by supporters of a union with Greece. Previous drafts of Annan's plan envisions separate Greek and Turkish states linked by a weak federal government. The UN currently employs 1200 peacekeepers on the island. Read the Annan plan here. Read more about how the crisis unfolded here. AP has more.