Ak?nc? won, what now?

Everyone, from Greek Cypriot counterpart Nikos Anastasiades and party leaders to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavu?o?lu, and the diplomatic community stationed in Cyprus, including British and American ambassadors as well as executives of the United Nations Cyprus team, celebrated president-elect Mustafa Ak?nc? of Northern Cyprus. 

In all congratulation messages, there was one thing in common: ?The elections are over. We congratulate you for the outstanding electoral success. Now it is time not only to revive but fast-track the Cyprus peacemaking process stalled last October after the Greek Cypriot withdrawal.?

The Greek Cypriot leader has made this clear right from the start. He stressed not only his willingness to return to the talks but also, separate from the process, his readiness to discuss a set of confidence building measures, which ought to include the return of the Varosha suburb of Famagusta to its pre-1974 owners.

The once-upon-a-time sprawling touristic resort town has been a ghost city since the 1974 Turkish intervention. Though he did not say it explicitly during the election campaign, Ak?nc? was often quoted as if he was willing to compromise on Varosha. Anyhow, it was Ak?nc? who opposed Varosha remaining a ghost city, criticizing the policies of past conservative governments of keeping the town as a ?hostage? to be used in the talks.

Will he now, as the ?chief executive? of the Turkish Cypriot state, end the ?hostage? status of Varosha and hand it over to Greek Cypriots bona fide, or will he, like his predecessors, link the handing over of the town to the overall settlement of the Cyprus problem? Anyhow, reliable information from the Greek side of...