By Michele Kambas
NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos was eliminated in the first round of a presidential election on Sunday, sending two candidates who want talks on reuniting the island to a run-off.
The surprise result signaled that Greek Cypriots are ready to return to peace talks key to Turkey's hopes of joining the EU, analysts said. The February 24 run-off will pit right-winger Ioannis Kassoulides against communist Demetris Christofias.
Both pledge a more conciliatory approach towards estranged Turkish Cypriots in the breakaway north.
Cyprus was divided in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek inspired coup. Peace talks stalled in 2004 when Papadopoulos, elected the year before, led Greek Cypriot rejection of a United Nations blueprint for reunification.
Sunday's vote showed a shift in opinion since then.
"If you want to extract a political message out of it, 65 percent of Greek Cypriots voted for clear pro-solution candidates," said political analyst Hubert Faustmann. "The Greek Cypriots are back at the negotiation table."
Kassoulides, 59, had supported the UN plan while Christofias, 62, had opposed it. Both acknowledge the blueprint cannot be revived but they also favor talks on reuniting the island.
Now, they will need to secure support from Papadopoulos ahead of the second round. Continued...
According to exit-polls Cyprus president Tassos Papadopoulos has been defeated in the Cypriot presidential elections. In the closest election in Cyprus ever, Papadopoulos finished third, after right-winger Ioannis Kassoulides and communist Demetris Christofias.

Kasoulides won 33.51% of votes, compared to 33.29% for Christofias and 31.79% for Papadopoulos. The two remaining candidates will compete again in a run-off vote next Sunday. The current election is regarded as extremely important in reuniting the Turkish-controlled northern part of the island with Greece-oriented southern part, after having been divided for decades.

Papadopoulos, member of the Cypriot Democratic Party, has been in office since 2003.