Turkish Cypriot president is sworn in

Newly elected Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat was sworn in as president of the breakaway state today, a year after Greek Cypriots rejected a reunification plan in a referendum.

Talat was sworn in by Parliament before assuming office in a ceremony attended by Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.

Talat, aged 53, is only the second person to have become president of the breakaway state in the north, founded after the Turkish invasion of 1974 that was sparked by a failed coup by supporters of union with Greece.

He was elected on April 17, replacing 81-year-old Rauf Denktash, who founded the state in 1983.

The change of leadership reflects a growing wish among Turkish Cypriots, especially the young, for an end to the island’s division and full participation in the European Union.

Cyprus joined the bloc last year, but the island’s division has excluded Turkish Cypriots in the north from most benefits.

Talat has pledged to work to reunite the divided Mediterranean island and restart peace talks with Greek Cypriots. He has appealed to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to continue to seek a solution.

A referendum on Annan’s last effort won overwhelming support in the Turkish part of Cyprus but was roundly rejected by the Greek Cypriots just a year ago.

Many opposed provisions that limited the rights of thousands of Greek Cypriots displaced by the Turkish invasion to return to property that had been seized in the north. They also rejected the plan’s provision that would have allowed thousands of settlers from the Turkish mainland to stay.