By Michele Kambas and Dina Kyriakidou
NICOSIA (Reuters) - Communist party leader DemetrisChristofias won Cyprus's presidential election on Sunday andagreed immediately to meet the leader to the island's breakawayTurkish-Cypriot community to revive reunification efforts.
Turkish-Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat called Christofiasto congratulate him on the election win and the two men agreedto meet "at the earliest possible date", Talat's spokesmansaid.
A spokesman for Christofias confirmed the discussion butsaid no date had been set.
Christofias's election has revived hopes of reunifyingCyprus, divided along ethnic lines since 1974 when Turkeyinvaded after a brief Greek-inspired coup.
Reunification efforts broke down in 2004 when GreekCypriots rejected a U.N. plan and they joined the EuropeanUnion a short time later as a divided island.
The EU recognises the Greek-Cypriot government in the southof the Mediterranean island, where voting took place on Sunday.
Christofias' supporters poured into the streets waving redparty banners and Cypriot flags and drove around honking horns.Christofias won 53.36 of the vote and right-wing rival IoannisKassoulides garnered 46.64 percent and conceded defeat.
Christofias, 62, told a noisy crowd: "From tomorrow weunite our strengths, we shall work collectively and in unisonto achieve reunification of our homeland."
Political analyst Hubert Faustmann said Christofias "wastalking about the need to communicate with his Turkish-Cypriotcompatriots all the time and he will deliver on this. I thinkthis will substantially improve the climate."
Christofias will be Cyprus's first communist president andthe only one in the 27-member EU. Although proud to be acommunist, he says he will leave the free market economy alone.
His AKEL party boasts busts of Lenin and red flags at itsheadquarters but it also owns a number of large businesses onthe island. It has been instrumental in electing presidents buthad never fielded its own candidate.
The island's division between Greek and Turkish Cypriots isa major obstacle to neighbouring Turkey's EU aspirations.
ENDING STALEMATE
Ankara's EU entry negotiations have been partly suspendedbecause of the stalemate over Cyprus. The conflict is also anobstacle to better ties between NATO allies Greece and Turkey,who have come close to war over the island a number of times.
The surprise elimination of incumbent President TassosPapadopoulos in the first round on February 17 raised hopes theGreek Cypriots might be ready for a deal. Papadopoulos had ledthe opposition to the U.N. plan in 2004.
Soviet-educated Christofias, who won the vote aftersecuring support from Papadopoulos's party, favours astructured approach to fresh talks through the United Nations.
Turkish Cypriots, who have watched wealthier Greek Cypriotsenjoy the benefits of EU membership alone, welcomed the result,saying they were keen for negotiations to re-start.
"We see the change as an opportunity, and we expectnegotiations to start immediately and without the need forpreliminaries," said Turkish Cypriot spokesman Hasan Ercakica.
Initial reaction from Turkey was more lukewarm, with aForeign Ministry official saying the election result waspositive but there were many factors to follow up on.
"We are a little cautious at the moment," said theofficial, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We have to seewhether Christofias gave promises to Papadopoulos or not.(Christofias) will face a sincerity test."
(Additional reporting by Simon Bahceli and SteliosOrphanides, and Zerin Elci in Ankara; writing by DinaKyriakidou; editing by Stephen Weeks)
