Turkish Cypriot hard-liner elected, pledges unity talks

NICOSIA, Cyprus - Turkish Cypriots on Sunday narrowly elected as their president a hard-liner opposed to reunification with the island's Greek portion.

But upon winning, challenger Dervis Eroglu pledged to continue reconciliation talks launched by the incumbent he beat, Mehmet Ali Talat.

Eroglu's win is also seen as threatening to scuttle Turkey's bid for membership of the European Union.

Divided Cyprus joined the EU in 2004, with only the internationally recognized south's 800,000 Greek Cypriots enjoying membership benefits. The island's division is already blocking parts of Turkey's EU-membership negotiation process because of Ankara's refusal to recognize the Greek Cypriot government.

Cyprus was split in 1974, when Turkey invaded to foil a coup by Greek Cypriots intended to force union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots declared their region an independent republic in 1983, but only Turkey recognizes it and maintains 35,000 troops there.

Eroglu won enough votes for an outright victory, with 50.38 percent, compared with Talat's 42.85 percent, according to results posted on the Turkish Cypriot High Electoral Board's Web site.

Eroglu told supporters at his party headquarters in the northern, Turkish Cypriot half of the island's divided capital that he would not abandon negotiations aimed at reunifying the island.

"It's time to find peace," he said.

"We will be at the negotiating table for an agreement that will continue the existence of our people in this land with honor," he told the cheering crowd.

Talat told reporters he remained determined to "help and support" a peace deal.

Greek Cypriot government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou told state-run CyBC TV that the election outcome was a "negative development" but that Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias would press on with negotiations.

Although Eroglu insists he would continue peace talks, he is at odds with an agreement between Talat and Christofias envisioning a future partnership under a federal roof. Eroglu insists on separate sovereignty for the breakaway north, something that Christofias has warned he would not accept.

The Turkish government was careful not to take sides in the election and has said that peace talks must continue regardless of the winner.

"Whoever is president there, he has to continue with the determination" for talks, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with the private NTV news channel. "Eroglu himself has said he would press ahead with this determination. I don't think there will be a different situation."