Europe

Split Cyprus' rival leaders to meet UN chief on peace talks

Associated Press
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Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, left, and breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, right, talk as a guard stands in front of a car after their meeting aimed at reunifying the ethnically divided island, at the disused Nicosia airport inside a United Nations controlled buffer zone on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016. The rival leaders of ethnically split Cyprus say they will meet with the U.N. Chief later this month to take stock of ongoing reunification talks and ask him to step up his personal involvement in the months ahead. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) (The Associated Press)

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, left, breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, right, talks as the UN Special Advisor of the Secretary-General Espen Barth Eide, right, looks on as they leave their talks aimed at reunifying the ethnically divided island, at the disused Nicosia airport inside a United Nations controlled buffer zone on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016. The rival leaders of ethnically split Cyprus say they will meet with the U.N. Chief later this month to take stock of ongoing reunification talks and ask him to step up his personal involvement in the months ahead. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) (The Associated Press)

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, left, breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, right, and UN Special Advisor of the Secretary-General Espen Barth Eide are seen during a statement after Their talks aimed at reunifying the ethnically divided island, at the disused Nicosia airport inside a United Nations controlled buffer zone on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016. The rival leaders of ethnically split Cyprus say they will meet with the U.N. Chief later this month to take stock of ongoing reunification talks and ask him to step up his personal involvement in the months ahead. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) (The Associated Press)

The rival leaders of ethnically split Cyprus say they will meet with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon later this month to take stock of ongoing reunification talks and ask him to step up his personal involvement in the months ahead.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, a Greek Cypriot, and the breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said in a joint statement after meeting Wednesday that much progress has been achieved in 16 months of talks, but key differences remain.

The two leaders repeated their commitment to intensifying talks with the aim of reaching an accord on Cyprus' decades-old division by the end of this year.

Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded in the wake of a coup aimed at union with Greece.