Cyprus: Patriarch's Autumn, Reunification Efforts' Spring

Rauf Denktas, president of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), will retire before April 17 elections, according to April 15 media reports. Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat will most likely assume the presidency. Talat's pro-reunification stance would represent the polar opposite of Denktas' unyielding opposition to the TRNC's reunification with the Greek south, which combined with mounting domestic and international pressure for an agreement will speed up the process of Cypriot reunification.