Turkish Cypriot government loses in no-confidence vote

The government of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is expected to resign after losing a no-confidence vote on Wednesday, at a time when efforts are under way to restart negotiations for a solution to the Cyprus issue. The Turkish Cypriot state was set up in the northern part of Cyprus which was occupied in 1974 by Turkish troops, acting in response to a coup by Greek army officers. It is recognized only by Turkey. Several National Unity party deputies joined the opposition in a 27-to-21 vote in the 50-member chamber to oust the government of Prime Minister Irsen Kutchuk. Turkish Cypriot parliamentary sources said he has to resign by Friday to make way for premature parliamentary elections on July 28. No clear reason for the vote emerged, but analysts said that the no-confidence vote was instigated by the Turkish government which effectively controls the northern part of Cyprus, economically, politically and militarily. Analysts said the real target behind the move is the president of TRNC, Dervis Eroglu, who is considered by Ankara to be aligned with the Kemalists and the army who support a secular state in Turkey and are opposed to the Islamist government of Turkish Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan. Eroglu is also considered to be a nationalist whose hard line policies on the Cyprus issue may embarrass Turkey and harm its drive to join the European Union. Any change in the TRNC administration is not expected to have an immediate effect on efforts to resume negotiations on the Cyprus issue but it may introduce a factor of uncertainty, depending on the final lineup in the new TRNC parliament. The internationally-recognized government of Cyprus represented by the Greek Cypriot community of the island has said it will not be ready to embark on negotiations before autumn. President Nicos Anastasiades told the United Nations -- which oversees the negotiations -- that he will be busy over the next few months trying to restart the island's economy after a near meltdown of its banking system.