World Bulletin / News Desk

Rival Cypriot leaders have pledged to forge ahead with efforts to reunite the divided island after making "real progress" at a high-level international conference that wrapped up early Friday.

The United Nations' new Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who hosted the conference in Geneva on his first foreign trip at the helm of the world body, said a final deal was "close" but warned against expecting a "quick fix".

And a government spokesman in Nicosia said the Geneva talks, which also brought together key players Greece, Turkey and former colonial power Britain, had represented a "historic conference for the Cyprus problem."

Thursday's talks followed three days of negotiations between Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci aiming to forge a united, two-zone federation. 

Technical experts from all sides were set to continue negotiations in Geneva on Friday, but the British, Greek and Turkish foreign ministers were not expected to take part.