March 27, 2017 - 5:46 AM
ATHENS, Greece - The United Nations says its envoy to Cyprus will host a dinner for the ethnically divided island's rival leaders in hopes of getting stalled reunification talks back on track.
A statement Monday said U.N. envoy Espen Barth Eide will host the April 2 dinner at the defunct Ledra Palace Hotel inside the U.N.-controlled buffer zone that cuts across the capital, Nicosia.
The dinner is seen as an ice-breaker between breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and the island's Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades after a month-long talks hiatus.
Negotiations broke off amid Turkish Cypriot anger over legislation making the commemoration of a 1950 referendum for Cyprus' union with Greece compulsory in Greek Cypriot schools.
Turkish Cypriot officials say talks can resume only once the "mistake" is corrected.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017