Souladakis (PSE). – (EL) Mr President, in three days the referendum will be held in Cyprus on whether or not to accept the Annan plan. A yes or a no vote in the referendum will not be two sides of the same coin; it will be different sides of different coins. The next day will not be the same as the previous day. Today's debate confirms the vital role of the European Parliament in this entire lengthy development of hope on the Cypriot question and the exceptionally positive role of Commissioner Verheugen, of Mr Poos, and of all sides of the European Union in general. Now is the time for responsibility on the part of all the political leaders in Cyprus, of both the Greek and the Turkish Cypriots, in Greece and Turkey and in the entire European Union.

The party to which I belong, PASOK, and its President, Georgos Papandreou, are and have been protagonists throughout developments in Cyprus as regards the resolution of the problem and its integration into the European Union. It is the time of truth. We must all respond to the challenges of history, by looking the dilemma straight in the eye and responding responsibly and positively. A yes vote, with all the concerns but which operates in the new environment of the European Union, opens a window to the future and to hope. A no vote requires an answer. In all events, the answer will be given by the Cypriot people. The European Parliament and the European Union give both their support and their capabilities as security guarantees of the full exploitation of all aspects of the Annan plan. We must ask the same of the UN.

Our resolution today reflects precisely this perspective. I, as a Greek MEP, whose first contact with politics and political awareness was in the demonstrations and fights of the Cypriots to escape English colonialism and then in all the dramatic events in Cyprus, consider that a yes vote will result in an historic balance with prospects for a positive, historic reconciliation, in which everyone can trust in a positive future of prosperity and security for all, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots and the area in general.

I should like to finish with an ancient Greek motto: time waits for no man.