Attempts by the Cypriot parliament to put foodstuffs with more than 0.9 percent authorised GMO content on separate displays had angered the United States during a previous debate on the issue in 2005.

A separation between organic, conventional and GMO crops was not possible on islands the size of Cyprus, Photiou said.

"Establishing things like security zones is just an exercise on paper," Photiou told an environmental conference in Nicosia, called to launch a roadmap of government policies towards genetically modified products.

"We must elucidate these arguments to back our position in detail that there cannot be any coexistence," he said.

Cyprus's farming sector is relatively small, contributing about 4.0 percent to gross domestic product.

European public opinion is generally suspicious of genetically modified products, fearing health and environmental impacts. Advocates of biotechnology insist it is safe and will help eradicate world hunger by improving food supply.

A plan pursued by Cypriot legislators in 2005 to separate GMO food in shops angered the United States, which had at the time warned the move could harm bilateral ties.

George Perdikis, a member of the Green's Party which tabled the proposal in parliament, said there was now broad agreement among MPs that the plan should be adopted.

"We hope that it will be passed by parliament in the next month," he told Reuters.