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Turkish Cypriot PM to renew coalition after winning polls on divided Cyprus
AFP: 2/21/2005

NICOSIA, Feb 21 (AFP) - Turkish Cypriot premier Mehmet Ali Talat headed Monday towards a new coalition with his former government partners after winning parliamentary polls in breakaway northern Cyprus on pledges of reviving peace talks with the Greek Cypriots.

Talat`s centre-left Republican Turkish Party (CTP) secured 24 of the 50 seats in the parliament of the self-styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) after obtaining 44.5 percent of the vote, but failed to gain an outright majority to set up a government on his own.

His main rival, the National Unity Party (UBP) of nationalist former prime minister Dervis Eroglu got 19 seats.

Talat`s coalition partner, the centre-right Democrat Party (DP), secured six seats, while the Peace and Democracy Party (BDH), a small alliance close to Talat, won one seat.

"There is seems to be only one alternative for government," Talat told Turkey`s Anatolia news agency, giving signals that he could again form an alliance with the DP, which is led by Serdar Denktash, son of veteran Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash.

Such a partnership would give Talat a stronger government than the previous one, which lost its slim parliamentary majority shortly after the failure last year of a UN plan to reunify the island, forcing Sunday`s early elections.

In Ankara, Turkish government spokesman and Justice Minister Cemil Cicek told reporters after a cabinet meeting that the new TRNC government should be formed "as soon as possible".

"Turkey and the TRNC do not have a minute... to lose" in efforts to resume talks with the Greek Cypriots to find a lasting solution to the 31-year-old division of the island, he said.

The issue could be a major obstacle to Turkey`s efforts to join the European Union (EU), of which the island`s Greek Cypriot side is a full member. Turkey is scheduled to begin membership talks with the EU on October 3.

Talat`s victory was largely seen as sign of the strong desire for a settlement among Turkish Cypriots, weary of the isolation of their statelet, which is recognised only by Turkey.

Talat was a strong supporter of the abortive UN plan to end the island`s division, which failed when a majority of the Greek Cypriots voted it down even though the Turkish Cypriots rallied behind it at simultaneous referenda last April.

The result meant that a divided Cyprus joined the EU a week later.

Immediately after Sunday`s vote, Talat called on Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos, who urged his people to vote against the UN scheme, to agree to revive the stalled peace process.

"I want to call on the Greek Cypriot ... leadership to take our hand, which we extend in peace, and we will continue to do our best at reconciliation and a solution," he said.

The Greek Cypriot government also said it hoped for an early resumption of UN-led peace talks but questioned whether Talat was ready.

The Turkish Cypriot community`s desire for a reunited Cyprus is not in doubt but "unfortunately this is not supported by the positions of Turkish Cypriot leaders who came out on top" in Sunday`s poll, he said.

The European Commission, the bloc`s executive arm, welcomed the outcome of the vote, saying it demonstrated Turkish Cypriot desire for the reunification of the island and its integration with the EU.

Analysts say the result is unlikely to lead to any immediate resumption of the peace process, which will have to await presidential elections in April when Rauf Denktash will stand down after four decades leading his community.

Talat is largely expected to be a candidate in the presidential race, although he has so far given no indication that he intends to do so.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey occupied the northern third of the island following a Greek Cypriot coup seeking to unite the island with Greece.