A UN envoy commented for the new year that all efforts to reunify the split the Mediterranean's third largest island of Cyprus, are expected to progress through leaders from both communities deep into 2009.
The leaders of the two communities launched a new round of peace talks in September. Mehmet Ali Talat, the Turkish Cypriot leader had said he hoped a progress could be found by the end of 2009.
Peace talks were deadlocked after former president Tassos Papadopoulos led the Greek-Cypriot rejection of a UN reunification plan in a 2004 referendum. Turkish Cypriots had overwhelmingly voted in favour.
According to the latest conference the two leaders Talat and Dimitris Christofias and United Nations Envoy Alexander Downer said finding a solution will take time.
'I think obviously they can achieve a good solution by the end of the year.'
Cyprus has been split since 1974 after Turkey invaded the northern third of the island in response to a short-lived coup initiated by Greece.
As Downer said 'They need to keep momentum and not lose momentum ... I think to set themselves official deadlines would actually made the process more difficult rather than easier,'.
Peace negotiations have targeted more on governance and power sharing.
The two parties guarantee the equality of both communities by the federal entity composed of two constituent states.
The real problem which divides the two sides is the fact that Greek Cypriot majority have to share power with Turkish Cypriot minority.
The Greek Cypriots want a stronger central government and more limited regional powers which will prevent the island falling back into partition while the Turkish Cypriots want a loose federation.
The Greek Cypriots also threatens Turkey's aspirations of participate in European Union. Ankara started EU entry talks in 2005 and the Cyprus problem has proved one of the main stumbling blocks in negotiations.
Ankara maintain more than 45,000 troops in the northern part of Cyprus.
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