NICOSIA (AFP) -- Talks on reunifying Cyprus have made solid progress, a UN envoy said on Friday, just two days before his chief Ban Ki-moon visits the divided Mediterranean island.

“The leaders want me, on their behalf, to say that significant progress has been made in a series of areas of governance,” the envoy, Alexander Downer, told reporters after the latest round of the negotiations.
“The leaders have left the meeting feeling positive and there will be a bit more to say next week when (Ban) is here and the leaders meet with the secretary general,” he added.
President Demetris Christofias, a Greek Cypriot, and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat have yet to secure a breakthrough in the UN-backed process amid sluggish negotiations.
Ban is due to arrive on the Mediterranean island on Sunday and hold talks with the leaders the following day before leaving on Tuesday.
The UN secretary general's office has said he is visiting Cyprus to show support for the negotiations that have dragged on for around 16 months.
The Greek Cypriot side has said it welcomes the heightened interest shown by the international community, but has been quick to underline Ban was not coming to seal any peace agreement.
Before Downer's announcement on Friday, there had been growing pessimism about the talks among the Greek Cypriot leadership who believe they are doomed to failure.
The peace talks were launched amid much optimism and fanfare in September 2008, but the two sides remain divided on the core issues of property, security and territorial adjustments.
Cyprus has been split since Turkish troops seized and occupied its northern third in 1974 in response to a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece.
Ban will be coming to Cyprus at the end of two rounds of UN-led negotiations that were meant to accelerate its reunification, but it is unclear what will happen next.
“They are going to talk about future programming during the meeting next Monday with the secretary general,” Downer said.
Although the Australian diplomat announced progress on governance, many open-ended issues remain unresolved with more daunting chapters on property, territory and security yet to be safely navigated.
Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders say they are committed to finding a solution this year, while the United Nations is hoping 2010 will see a Cyprus settlement.
Christofias has ruled out any draft agreement at this stage, as both sides are adamant that nothing can be agreed until everything is finalized.
Any deal which emerges must be put before the Cypriot people in separate but simultaneous referendums.
The international community has called for the momentum of the negotiations to quicken.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have spoken to both leaders by telephone to give their encouragement.
The reunification talks will need to be suspended soon to allow Talat to campaign for elections called for April 18 in breakaway northern Cyprus.