The Cypriot government declared a three-day official mourning in memory of the late president Tassos Papadopoulos who died of lung cancer on Friday at the age of 74.
Flags at all public buildings and schools will fly at half-mast till Monday, when Papadopoulos will be laid to rest in a state funeral, said government spokesman Stephanos Stephanou after an extraordinary cabinet meeting.
"We honor his contribution to his country Cyprus from various posts he has served, as a member of parliament, president of the House of Representatives, minister, negotiator and president of the republic," the cabinet expressed with deep sorrow.
Papadopoulos, a longtime chain smoker, was admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital on Nov. 22. He was suffering from lower back pain and acute respiratory failure, and was later diagnosed with small cell lung cancer.
Papadopoulos was born in Nicosia in January 1934. He studied law in London and later came back to Cyprus to join the struggle for independence against British colonial rule in the 1950s.
Papadopoulos was elected president of the republic in February 2003 for a five-year term, during which Cyprus became a full member of the European Union and entered the eurozone.
Widely viewed as a nationalist hardliner, Papadopoulos persuaded Greek Cypriots to reject a United Nations-brokered plan for a solution to the Cyprus problem in April 2004, arguing that the plan would lead to no real reunification of the Mediterranean island, but to a permanent division. As a result, only the Greek Cypriot south effectively entered the EU.
Papadopoulos failed in his bid for a second term earlier this year and was replaced in February by Demetris Christofias, who is more flexible and pro-solution. Comprehensive reunification talks with the Turkish Cypriot leadership have been re-launched under the new presidency.
Papadopoulos leaves behind his wife and four children.
Source:Xinhua
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