Former Cyprus president has dinner with Talat

Former president Glafkos Clerides had dinner with the Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat and his wife at his residence on Thursday night. Some Greek Cypriots were clearly displeased that Clerides chose to have dinner at the place referred to by the Turkish Cypriot administration as the presidential palace.

However, the government spokesman, George Lillikas, diplomatically dodged the issue by saying it it was not government policy to comment on the actions of a former president.

Clerides was invited before the parliamentary elections which took place last Sunday, but is believed to have pushed the date until after the election.

Clerides was accompanied by his daughter and politician Kaity Cleridis and former agriculture minister Costas Themistocleus.

Contacts between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot politicians have been rare since the referendum over two years ago in which Greek Cypriots rejected but Turkish Cypriots accepted a plan to reunify the island.