President Glafcos Clerides of Cyprus, who has been re-elected in a tightly fought contest, has made reunification of the island the goal of his second term of office.
"The election is over and we will now all together fight for a solution of our problem," Mr Clerides told thousands of supporters in a victory speech. The veteran right-winger polled 50.8 per cent of the vote on Sunday against 49.2 per cent for the independent challenger, Mr George Iacovou (59), a former foreign minister who was backed by the powerful communist party AKEL and the centre-right DIKO party.
Mr Clerides (78) had focused his campaign almost entirely on portraying himself as the only man capable of bringing about the reunification of Cyprus, which has been divided since Turkish troops invaded in 1974.
Mr Clerides has represented Greek Cypriots in most key international talks since the negotiations for independence from Britain in the late 1950s. His reelection was seen by many diplomats as crucial for a settlement on the island. UN mediators had put talks on hold until mid-March pending the outcome of the poll.
Mr Clerides says he is better equipped to negotiate with Turkish Cypriot leaders "because in all the talks I have wanted to take into account the problems of the other side."
The Turkish-Cypriot leader, Mr Rauf Denktash, congratulated Mr Clerides but again put conditions on any meeting. He said Mr Clerides would first have to recognise the breakaway Turkish Republic of North Cyprus which he declared in 1983 but which is recognised only by Ankara.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mr Ismail Cem, has told the Greek newspaper Elefterotypia he is upbeat about relations between Turkey and Greece, but bleak about Cyprus.
Turkey is ready to discuss any Greek proposal for improving relations, he said, adding that "neighbours need to talk" before taking disputes over territory in the Aegean Sea to an international tribunal for resolution.
However, the application by Cyprus to join the EU "has further complicated the situation for us and the Turkish Cypriots, as has the S300 missiles" which the Cypriot government has bought from Russia, Mr Cem said.