Cyprus goes to the polls

Cypriots are voting in a run-off presidential election, choosing between a communist leader and a conservative former foreign minister who promise to restart stalled talks to reunify Europe's last divided capital.

Communist-rooted Dimitris Christofias, 61, and conservative Ioannis Kasoulides, 59, have both staked their campaigns on pledges to stave off permanent partition by offering an olive branch to breakaway Turkish Cypriots.

If Mr Christofias wins, Cyprus would become the EU's only country with a communist-inspired president.

Reunification of the Greek Cypriot south and the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north would remove one of the obstacles to Turkey's efforts to join the European Union.

It would also ease strong objections to Kosovo's new independence among Greek Cypriots who fear it would act as a precedent for north Cyprus.

"This is not just about Cyprus. This is about broader security and stability and political consolidation in the critical part of the Eurasian theatre," said John Sitilides, chairman of the Woodrow Wilson Centre's South-east Europe Project in Washington.

It was the promise of an end to the stalemate over the country's division that produced the shock exit of hard-line incumbent Tassos Papadopoulos in a first-round vote last week.

Mr Christofias and Mr Kasoulides are running neck-and-neck, although Mr Christofias is considered the favourite as he gained the backing of Mr Papadopoulos' party.

"We will roll up our sleeves and work hard so that our island is reunified. Enough is enough, entrenching division is disastrous for our people and our island," Mr Christofias told reporters after voting.

"I also extend a message friendship to ordinary Turkish Cypriots."

Both Mr Kasoulides and Mr Christofias accused Mr Papadopoulos of regressive tactics edging Cyprus toward a permanent split with Turkish Cypriots, whose breakaway state is recognised only by Turkey. Mr Papadopoulos was instrumental in urging Greek Cypriots to reject a 2004 UN reunification plan that Turkish Cypriots approved. A week later, the island joined the EU as a divided country.