No deal to end Cyprus's decades-old division as unification talks crumble

Talks to reunify the divided island of Cyprus collapsed amid anger and recriminations in the early hours of Friday, marking the end of a process seen as the most promising in generations to heal decades of conflict.

Cyprus is one of the world's longest-running political crises and the UN-backed talks that began in the Swiss Alpine resort of Crans-Montana on 28 June had been billed as the best chance to end the island's 40-year division since the island was split between its Greek and Turkish Cypriot populations in 1974.

The failure to reach a deal brings an end to more than two years of UN-backed efforts to resolve the conflict.

"I am deeply sorry to inform you that despite the very strong commitment and engagement of all the delegations and the different parties ... the Conference on Cyprus was closed without an agreement being reached," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters.

Cyprus was divided when Turkish troops invaded and later occupied its northern third in response to an Athens-inspired putsch seeking union with Greece.

Guterres had flown in on Thursday to press Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci to seal a deal reuniting the east Mediterranean island, while US Vice President Mike Pence had phoned to urge them to "seize this historic opportunity".

Guterres himself was upbeat when he first joined the Crans-Montana talks but the tone quickly soured and the UN chief flew back to Switzerland early Thursday in a bid to try to end the stalemate that had set in.

Guterres finally called a halt at 2 a.m. after a session marred by yelling and drama, a source close to the negotiations told Reuters news agency.