NICOSIA (Reuters) - Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash crossed to the southern side of divided Cyprus for the first time in more than a quarter of a century on Saturday to dine with his Greek Cypriot rival, President Glafcos Clerides.
Billed as a social event, diplomats see the meeting between the two leaders, who have negotiated inconclusively for the best part of the past 35 years, as a vital step in improving the climate ahead of crucial negotiations to reunify Cyprus which start on January 16.
Greek Cypriot students and refugee groups protesting against the visit were kept at a distance.
The dinner was in return for one hosted by Denktash for Clerides at his residence in northern Nicosia on December 5. That gathering followed a breakthrough meeting at which the two leaders agreed to start intensive talks to resolve the conflict, which remains a key source of tension between NATO allies Greece and Turkey and risks complicating European Union enlargement.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash(L) and Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides pose for pictures before dinner in southern Nicosia, December 29, 2001. Denktash made history by crossing into the government-controlled southern areas of Cyprus, a first since 1974. The two leaders are due to start intensive talks on the reunification of their island on January 16. (Andreas Manolis/Reuters)