Eroglu says his party favors EU membership

"Defending not to join the EU is against the mission and vision of my party," Eroglu said over the weekend. He said however such a membership should come after a workable deal with Greek Cypriots, without elaborating.

Eroglu, leader of the National Unity Party (UBP), was asked last week by President Denktas to form a new government after Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat’s coalition resigned, following months of effort to create a government that would have at least 26 seats in the 50-member Parliament.

Talat’s Republican Turks’ Party (CTP) defended a U.N. plan aimed at reunification of the island in an April 24 referendum. Eroglu’s UBP opposed. The plan, in the end, was approved by Turkish Cypriots but overwhelmingly rejected by Greek Cypriots.

Greek Cypriots, despite their vote against the plan, joined the EU on May 1 and the Turkish Cypriot section was left outside.

Eroglu said he respected Turkish Cypriots’ choice in the referendum.

"We have been a liberal party at the center. We are a party which has put EU membership high on its agenda for years," Eroglu told the Turkish Cypriot news agency TAK. He was responding to press reports quoting him as saying that UBP was against the EU, though it was not planning to challenge the official Turkish Cypriot policy line in favor of EU membership.

Eroglu has now less than 15 days to form the government. He told TAK that he would meet with CTP officials on Tuesday and meet with the Peace and Democracy Movement (BDH) on Wednesday. He is expected to hold talks with Serdar Denktas’ Democracy Party (DP) later in the week.

The UBP is the largest group in Parliament and has 19 seats.