Cyprus: Ground not yet ready for peace talks resumption

A man sits by a sign reading 'Peace" near from the main Ledra checkpoint that crosses from the south, Greek, to the ,north, Turkish Cypriots, controlled areas in divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci they meet today under the U.N to laying the groundwork for a return to reunification negotiations almost two years after the most recent bid to hammer out a peace accord collapse. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Men walk under a Turkish, left, and a Turkish Cypriot breakaway flags at the north part of the city, by the U.N buffer zone that divide the Greek, south, and the Turkish Cypriots, north, controlled areas in divided capital Nicosia, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci they meet today under the U.N to laying the groundwork for a return to reunification negotiations almost two years after the most recent bid to hammer out a peace accord collapse. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

NICOSIA, Cyprus – Cyprus' president says conditions aren't yet ready for a resumption of formal talks to reunify the ethnically divided island nation because both sides remain apart on key issues regarding power sharing and security arrangements. Nicos Anastasiades, a Greek Cypriot, says efforts to restart negotiations are going through a "difficult phase," but that he and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci have pledged to work to get negotiations back on track.

The United Nations hosted an informal meeting Tuesday between the two men in hopes they could clear the air on certain issues that would allow talks to resume.

They agreed on several measures to boost confidence, including an arrangement enabling people living in the breakaway north and the internationally recognized south to use their mobile telephones on either side.