Dinner diplomacy heads to Pyla

THE TWO leaders President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, will be hosting a dinner tonight in the mixed village of Pyla for the members of the UN team supporting the ongoing negotiations.

The dinner will be preceded by a meeting of the leaders in the village square and a tour of the coffee shops.

It will be attended by the spouses of the leaders, the members of the negotiating teams of the two sides, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative in Cyprus and Special Adviser on the Cyprus issue, Lisa Buttenheim and Alexander Downer respectively, and the members of the UN team at the talks.

The main meal will be held at the Trochos restaurant in the centre of the village, followed by coffee in the Turkish Cypriot restaurant Amnesia a kilometre away. 

When he was asked earlier yesterday about the tonight’s event, Downer jokingly told reporters: “It’s one of those situations. Three courses, two courses in one restaurant and one in the other but the one in the other will be very substantial.  The two will be smaller courses so it will all be perfectly symmetrical and fair.” 

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