Turks-Cyprioten kiezen voor pro-Europese president (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The division of Cyprus could come to an end more quickly following the Turkish Cypriot prime minister Mehmet Ali Talat's victory in Sunday's (17 April) presidential election.

"This is for peace, for a solution of the Cyprus problem and Cyprus' entry into the EU as a whole", Mr Talat said, according to the Associated Press.

The pro-EU president elect won more than 55 per cent of the vote, passing the 50 per cent threshold needed to cancel a runoff in an election that saw nine candidates, according to various wire reports.

In February, Mr Talat's party won 24 of the 50 seats in parliamentary elections.

Dervis Eroglu, Mr Talat's main rival in favour of keeping Turkish Cyprus isolated from the world and its Greek neighbour scooped just 23% of the vote.

Mr Talat now wants to begin talks with the Greek side in order to reunify the island and become part of the EU.

The island was split in 1974 after the Turkish invasion in the north, which was prompted by a Greek-Cypriot coup seeking to make the island part of Greece.

Brussels congratulated Mr Talat on Monday (18 April), saying his success confirms the strong desire of the Turkish Cypriot community for reunification and full integration into the EU.

"The Commission remains ready to actively support all efforts to this aim and to play a more active role in this respect", it said in a statement.

The Brussels executive has proposed a 259 million euro financial package for the Turkish part of the island to encourage economic development and trade, but the move is still to be approved.

"I hope the vote in the occupied region will result in a leadership that will show a sincere desire for the resumption of negotiations for the reunification of our country", said Greek Cypriot president Tassos Papadopoulos, Al Jazeera reported.

According to the International Herald Tribune, many analysts say Mr Papadopoulos is holding out in the hope of forcing more Turkish concessions as Ankara negotiates Turkey's EU membership.

EU accession talks with Turkey are set to begin in October.

A majority of Turkish Cypriots backed a reunification plan in a referendum in 2004 before the island joined the EU.

But the move was blocked when Greek Cypriots voted it down.

Mr Talat had supported the plan, but Mr Denktash, the fomrer president of Turkish Cyprus, and Mr Papadopoulos had both opposed it.