By Bruno Waterfield - 8th March 2004
Defeated Greek socialists will support a new centre-right government in efforts to broker a Cyprus deal over the next fortnight.
Sunday polls saw the New Democracy party sweep to power ending ten years of socialist rule in Athens.
The country’s new Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, who has never held high government office, faces crunch UN negotiations over the future of Cyprus.
And defeated socialist leader George Papandreou promised to ensure that a change of administration would not derail efforts to reunify the Greek and Turkish halves of the divided island before Cyprus joins the EU in May.
“The Cyprus issue is at a very difficult point and we’ll do everything we can to get a just and viable solution,” he said.
UN chief Kofi Annan has set a March 22 deadline for the talks and with remaining divisions between Greek and Turkish Cypriots the role of Athens and Ankara will be crucial in coming days.
Karamanlis has built cordial relations with Turkey but will have to reassure Ankara that the right will not breach close ties forged by the left.
Papandreou conceded the election battle after Karamanlis beat the socialist 46.9 per cent to 40.4 per cent on 46 per cent of the count.
Karamanlis, aged 47, will be the country’s youngest leader as Greeks punished incumbent socialists regarded as inefficient and corrupt.
Papandreou’s electoral defeat may well signal a Brussels comeback for EU employment and social affairs chief Anna Diamantopoulou.
The Greek commissioner was granted special leave of absence from her EU duties to head up the socialist list for the duration of the campaign.
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