Eroglu wins elections in the north

Dervis Eroglu yesterday claimed victory in the north's presidential election on Sunday, winning more than 50 percent of the vote beating incumbent Mehmet Ali Talat and avoiding a run-off.

Eroglu, who wants more autonomy for each community in any peace settlement, rules out concessions key to Greek Cypriots in reunification talks.

According to Bayrak television Eroglu told his supporters that “the Turkish Cypriot people are the victim of the existing situation as they are still being isolated and subjected to embargoes. Therefore, we and our people are in favor of concluding the Cyprus issue”.He said his first task will be to consult with Turkey and assess the situation and he would then establish his own expert negotiating team as well as set up a national council. He said he would seek an agreement that will not disadvantage the Turkish Cypriot people and would consider Turkey’s interests as well.
He reiterated his position that the Turkish Cypriot people are an equal and sovereign people. And that he would be defending his people’s rights at the negotiating table.

He added that did not run in order to obstruct the negotiations but to defend the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people. “We want a lasting and sustainable agreement. There are simple principles to ensure this, and we will discuss these principles in detail at the negotiating table”, he said. 2. Erdogan wants a solution by the end of the year

Kibris reports that after the results of the elections in the north Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that the new president should continue the process with the same determination.

He pointed out that Mr Eroglu’s views are not different than his own on this issue and reminded that Mr Eroglu has stated many times that “we will continue our way with determination”. Asked to comment on the messages sent by Athens to the Greek Cypriots during the recent visit of Prime Minister Papandreou to Cyprus, Mr Erdogan said that he considers Mr Papandreou “much more positive on this point”. Noting that they will discuss these issues during his visit to Athens, he added: “My wish is for us to end this job by the end of the year”.Moreoever, Turkish daily Hurriyet reported from Ankara that Erdogan has urged Cypriot leaders to continue reunification.

‘It cannot be the Turkish side that escapes from the negotiation table. If there is a party that keeps [away] from the table, it should be them [Greek Cypriots],’ Erdogan said in an interview late Saturday with private television channel Kanal 24.

“My sincere wish is for the continuation of talks with the same commitment. We are seriously committed to the completion of these talks,” Erdogan said.

‘Mr. Talat brought the negotiations to a very important level. I hope we will be able to conclude them by the end of this year through negotiations, which will resume after the elections. We should preserve our commitment with the spirit of win-win,’ Erdogan said.

Cyprus Government Spokesman, Stephanos Stephanou announced that President Christofias would be writing a letter to the UN Secretary General about the election of Mr Eroglu in the north in which he will stress that the talks must continue on the basis of what has been agreed so far. He also said that Eroglu’s election was a negative development but that now they must sit down and evaluate the situation in a spirit of unity.

The Greek Cypriot political parties all said that Eroglu’s election was a step backwards. Akel leader Andros Kyprianou said that the Greek Cypriot side must insist on continuing the negotiations and that if there is no response to expose Eroglu. Disy vice president Averof Neofytou stressed that the Greek Cypriots had missed many opportunities while Talat was in power. Edek leader Omirou said that now the Greek Cypriot side should remove certain unacceptable positions such as the rotating presidency while Diko leader Marios Karoyan said that this negative development does not change the fact that it is Turkey that is controlling Turkish Cypriot politics.

Politis says that according to diplomatic sources, the UN is evaluating the situation after the election of Dervis Eroglu and have reached the conclusion that the only way to control the nationalist Turkish Cypriot leader is and to make him sit at the negotiating table in the context of an international conference next to Turkish Prime Minister Tayipp Erdogan and under the watchful eye of the international community. The paper says the international community in general views Eroglu as a “necessary evil” for the northern part of Cyprus, in view of the fact that Talat lost the confidence of the Turkish Cypriot voters as a result of the financial irregularities that were committed during his rule. They consider Eroglu to be Ankara’s mouthpiece and more amenable to Turkey’s arguments. If it turns out that Ankara will not allow Eroglu to turn towards the setting up of two states during the negotiations, then everything is possible, with the opinion in the north being that a right-wing hard liner would be better able to sell a solution than a left-winger.