After decades of pain, suffering, division and failed hopes for both Cypriot communities, the Annan Plan offers all Cypriots - for the first time - a concrete, balanced and comprehensive proposal for the settlement of the Cyprus issue. It received the support of the whole international community at the Donors' Conference in Brussels on 15 April.

The Plan, which will be put to the Cypriot people by referendum this coming Saturday, has been prepared over years through the patient efforts of the UN and both Cypriot communities. On 24 April, all Cypriots will have a unique chance to turn a new page in the history of their island, to cease being the prisoners of the painful experiences of the past, and to create the basis for a stable united Cyprus.

In April 2003, the opening of the Green Line demonstrated to the world how thoroughly Cyprus has changed over the last decades: pessimistic predictions that the two communities could not live together in peace proved to be false. The two Cypriot communities came together in good will and raised worldwide hopes for a Cyprus that would very soon be reunited.

Almost exactly one year later, the vote on the Annan Plan will put into the hands of the Cypriots the decision on whether this transformation process will be completed, and whether Cyprus will become a normal and prosperous European country like the other member states of the European Union.

 If the unique chance offered on 24 April is not seized, some serious consequences will almost automatically follow.

A rejection of the proposed plan of the Secretary General of the United Nations would deepen the division between the two Communities. Confidence that has been rebuilt - with much difficulty - over the last decades will be lost, and will be hard to regain.

Furthermore, Europe and the wider international community would not understand the waste of this unique chance. Their good will to support further attempts to find a solution will not return for a number of years.

Therefore the present unsatisfactory situation will remain, and will not be compensated by EU membership. As the years go by it will become increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to find another solution.

The unresolved Cyprus issue will remain a liability for the relations of the Republic of Cyprus with its fellow member States in the European Union and the Council of Europe, and also with its neighbours in the region.

The Annan Plan demands sacrifices from both sides. Turkish settlers will have to be relocated, and a number of Greek Cypriot refugees will not be reinstated in their property and will be compensated. But what will be the alternative, if the Plan is not approved? There will be no compensation and no reinstatement of property.

Cypriots will not be left alone. The EU, the US and other international donors will help to shoulder the costs of implementing the settlement. The Donors' Conference in Brussels has already foreseen 2 billion EURO for that purpose. The fundamental rights of all Cypriots would still be protected by the European Convention on Human Rights.

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The international will to make this settlement work is genuine, and should by no means be underestimated. We will follow whether all parties keep to their part of the agreement, and will maintain pressure on them to respect their obligations.

Finally, the Annan Plan does not preclude political maturity, vision and good will leading to an improvement of its functioning for the good of Cyprus. Under the Foundation Agreement, provisions of the Plan can be amended if both communities agree.

The Plan, and the unanimous international support for it, offer unprecedented opportunities for the economic and political standing of Cyprus. It offers all Cypriots a unique chance to ensure a future of peace, security and prosperity within the family of European democracies for their children and grandchildren.