After shuttling across divided Cyprus Wednesday, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan held a working dinner with rival Cypriot leaders in the framework of a last-gasp effort to save reunification discussions.
The UN secretary general dined with Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides and Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash inside the UN-controlled buffer zone that encompasses the abandoned Nicosia airport after a day of separate discussions with the two men.
The only others present were UN Cyprus envoy Alvaro de Soto and UN Chief of Mission Zbigniew Wlosowicz, at whose house they were dining.
Annan greeted Denktash and Clerides as they arrived within minutes of each other for dinner at 7:45 p.m. (local time), AFP reported.
Some three hours following their arrival, the Cypriot leaders emerged from the house with Kofi Annan.
They all shook hands before the leaders headed for waiting cars and left.
Dentash said before leaving "we had a very good dinner and a very good meeting."
Meanwhile, Annan said "we had a very good meeting. Everybody is satisfied. We had a good discussion."
UN spokesman Brian Kelly said before the three emerged that the leaders had "extensive discussions" and that Annan would make a statement before leaving Cyprus on Thursday. (Albawaba.com)
