Cyprus leader backs reunification
Newly elected president wants UN-brokered talks with Turkish Cypriot side of island.
Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president, said in a statement to Christofias: “I would strongly encourage you to grasp this chance and without delay start negotiations under United Nations auspices with the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community on a comprehensive settlement.”
The US and Britain also issued statements saying 2008 offered a window of opportunity and offering support.
Historic vote
The Cypriot press hailed the day as historic, both because Christofias becomes the island’s first communist president, the only one in the 27-member EU, and because it presents a significant opportunity to end the island’s stalemate.
“After five wasted years … he has a moral obligation to try to make up for lost ground,” wrote the Cyprus Mail.
 |
The island has been split along ethnic lines since 1974 when Turkey invaded after a brief Greek-inspired coup.
Reunification efforts broke down in 2004 when Greek Cypriots rejected a UN plan and a divided Cyprus joined the EU soon after.
The EU recognises the Greek-Cypriot government in the south, where voting took place on Sunday, while only Turkey recognises the breakaway north.
A UN team was expected on the island by early April to assess the potential for a settlement, diplomats said.