SHOTLIST
Nicosia,
Turkish Cypriot north
1.
Top shot of city
2.
Turkish Cypriot flag on mountain
3.
Checkpoint of
United Nations
4.
Campaign banner of elected
President Dervis Eroglu
5. Man reading newspaper
6.
Various of newspaper front pages
7. STORYLINE (
English) Vox pop,
Omar (no last name given),
Resident of Turkish Cypriot north:
"
Together with Mr. Eroglu we shall be able to find a solution, a more acceptable solution in
Cyprus."
8. Various of UN checkpoint
9. STORYLINE (English) Vox pop, No name given, Resident of Turkish Cypriot north:
"I am worried about connection between south and north will finish, so discussions between the leaders of
Turks and
Greeks will stop."
Nicosia, Cyprus
10. Cyprus and
Greek flag
11. Various of people reading newspapers
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Vox pop,
George Coyos, Cyprus resident:
"I think that whoever runs the show there it is not his call, it''s
Turkey which give the orders. If Turkey wants it solved, it will get it solved. Doesn''t matter who he is there."
13.
People walking in street
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Vox pop, No name given, Cyprus resident:
"Eroglu will begin from the beginning now not from the place Mr. Talat left, I think so."
15. Various of destroyed building left from war which ended in island''s division
STORYLINE
Hard-line challenger Dervis Eroglu has won a key Turkish Cypriot leadership election, vowing to continue
peace talks amid fears his victory could grind reunification negotiations with the
Greek Cypriots to a halt and scuttle Turkey''s bid for
European Union membership.
Eroglu won just enough votes for an outright victory on Sunday, with 50.38 percent, compared to leftist incumbent
Mehmet Ali Talat''s 42.85 percent, according to results posted on the Turkish Cypriot
High Electoral
Board''s Web site.
Candidates needed 50 percent plus one vote to avoid a runoff.
It was a much closer race than expected, as opinion polls had consistently predicted Eroglu to win by a wide margin.
Eroglu assured supporters who rushed to his party headquarters in the northern, Turkish Cypriot half of the island''s divided capital, that he would not abandon negotiations aimed at reunifying the divided island.
However some residents in the Turkish Cypriot north of Nicosia on Monday expressed their concerns.
"I am worried about connection between south and north will finish, so discussions between the leaders of Turks and Greeks will stop," one man said.
A
Greek resident of Nicosia said Turkey held power in the Turkish Cypriot part of island, regardless of the elected leader.
The island''s division is already hampering Turkey''s EU drive and could halt it if peace talks collapse.
Since Turkey is a
NATO member such a move also could cripple closer cooperation between the military alliance and the EU, and increase regional instability.
A
Greek Cypriot government spokesman told state-run CyBC TV that the election outcome was a "negative development," but that Greek Cypriot President
Dimitris Christofias would press on with negotiations.
Cyprus was split in
1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with
Greece.
Turkish Cypriots declared the independent republic in
1983, but only Turkey recognises it, and maintains 35-thousand troops there.
Divided Cyprus joined the EU in 2004, with only the internationally recognised south''s 800-thousand Greek Cypriots enjoying membership benefits.
The island''s division is already blocking parts of Turkey''s
EU membership negotiation process because of
Ankara''s refusal to recognise the Greek Cypriot government.
Although Eroglu insists he would continue peace talks, he''s at odds with an agreement between Talat and
Christofias envisioning a future partnership under a federal roof.
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- published: 24 Jul 2015
- views: 308