Cyprus vote today

Cypriots faced international calls yesterday for a "Yes" vote on the eve of referendums to decide if the island enters the EU reunited, but a bitter pre-poll atmosphere harked back to decades of division and conflict.

The United Nations, which keeps 1,200 peacekeepers on the mined "Green Line" separating Greek and Turkish Cypriots, said it had contingency plans if violence flares in today's historic vote. Cyprus cancelled police leave.

European Union enlargement commissioner Guenter Verheugen said efforts to reunify Cyprus risk failing after 30 years of division because Greek Cypriots do not want to give up revenue from tourism.

"It would be almost as if the Germans had said 'no' to the German reunification in a referendum," the German diplomat said on German television, citing "very tangible economic interests" behind the Greek Cypriots' course.

Forecasts say the separate referendums on a UN peace plan will see a resounding "yes" from Turkish Cypriots in the north and an overwhelming "no" from Greek Cypriots in the south.

Nearly everyone expects the deal to fall through because of opposition from the wealthier Greek Cypriots to a power sharing plan they believe does not give them enough territory and guarantees about the withdrawal of Turkish troops.

Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat forecast a "high" yes vote that he said would show the world it was Greek Cypriots standing in the way of peace.

In the final hours before the vote by 400,000 Greek Cypriots and 200,000 Turkish Cypriots, there were reports of harassment, even of children, to vote down the deal in Greek Cyprus.

Cyprus was racked by intercommunal violence in the 1960s and was split when Turkey invaded the north in 1974 after a Greek Cypriot coup which aimed at union with Greece.

If either side votes "no" today, the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government in the south will enter the European Union without the north, which is only recognised by Turkey.

"Hate and fear on the streets," read a large front page headline in the main English newspaper the Cyprus Mail.

"Reports of a string of threats against "yes" supporters emerged... with police warning passions could boil over on Saturday," the newspaper said.

It listed incidents in which some teenagers supporting the "no" campaign attacked a primary school and other cases where students had been too scared to go to school because their parents supported the peace plan.

An EU parliament committee will investigate charges made by the main Greek Cypriot opposition party of media bias ahead of the Cyprus vote, a spokeswoman said yesterday.

Nicos Anastassiades, president of the Democratic Rally party, accused the government and media of "trying to terrorise the people by systematically disseminating false information" ahead of today's referendums in the north and the south.

Mr Anastassiades raised his concerns on Wednesday in a letter to European Union Parliament President Pat Cox.

Greek Cypriots said more than half their police force would be on duty today while Turkish Cypriots said police leave had been cancelled, bars would shut and alcohol sales banned.

"We are on high alert. This is the most serious and emotional vote in our history," Turkish Cypriot Interior Minister Ozkan Murat told Reuters.

A Greek Cypriot police spokesman, Demetris Demetriou, whose force is under fire over reports it has not stayed neutral and supports the "no" campaign, dismissed allegations of harassment.

"These are petty little things," he said. On the Turkish Cypriot side 13 nationalists who also oppose the deal were set to go to trial for harassment.

A UN spokesman said events would be constantly monitored. In a late change the two sides agreed that their referendums would both end at 6 p.m. (1500 GMT) with the results expected only one or two hours later.