By Michele Kambas
NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriot President Tassos Papadopouloswas eliminated in the first round of a presidential election onSunday, meaning a surprise run-off between two candidates whoboth want talks on re-uniting the island.
The vote is key to efforts to bring back together thewar-divided Mediterranean island and to Turkey's European Unionaspirations. Analysts said Papadopoulos's elimination signalledGreek Cypriots are ready to return to the negotiation table.
Right wing backed Ioannis Kassoulides and CommunistDemetris Christofias pledge a more conciliatory approach toestranged Turkish Cypriots, who have lived separately since aTurkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspiredcoup.
With all the vote counted, Kassoulides had 33.5 percent,Christofias 33.3 percent and Papadopoulos only 31.8 percent. Noopinion polls had shown Papadopoulos, 74, losing in the firstround. The run-off will be on February 24.
"If you want to extract a political message out of it, 65percent of Greek Cypriots voted for clear pro-solutioncandidates," said political analyst Hubert Faustmann. "TheGreek Cypriots are back at the negotiation table."
The partitioned capital Nicosia burst into celebrations atthe vote, a ground shift in Cypriot politics.
Only three years ago, Papadopoulos led his Greek Cypriotcommunity into rejecting a United Nations peace plan for Cypruswith 76 percent of the vote and he had counted on a continued"no" vote in his bid for re-election. He was elected in 2003.
Kassoulides and Christofias, although from different sidesof the ideological divide, have both said they would be eagerto re-launch negotiations to re-unite Cyprus. They both want tomeet Mehmet Ali Talat, the Turkish Cypriot leader.
"(If I win) on February 25 I will pick up the phone andinvite myself to Mr. Talat's house," Kassoulides, 59, toldReuters recently.
Stalled efforts to reconcile the two Cypriot sides arehampering Turkey's chances of joining the European Union. AGreek Cypriot-led Cyprus represents the island in the bloc,with veto rights over the admission of Turkey.
Kassoulides's party had supported the earlier U.N.blueprint.
Christofias, a former Papadopoulos ally, favoured rejectionat the time. But it later transpired that Christofias had keydisagreements with Papadopoulos over his negotiation tactics.
Papadopoulos now becomes kingmaker for the run-off betweenthe other candidates.
Detractors say he is a hardliner who has alienated GreekCypriots in Europe, and failed to take decisive initiatives tore-start stalled peace talks.
The EU partially suspended Turkey's EU accession talks in2006 over its refusal to open its ports and airports to GreekCypriot traffic.
(Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
