Athens/Nicosia  - Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias on Friday said working and technical groups from both sides of the divided Mediterranean island were having problems trying to narrow their differences before leaders begin peace negotiations.

A spokesman for the Cypriot government, Stefanos Stefanou, said the team of experts were having dialogue difficulties preparing for negotiations scheduled for late June.

"This is why Mr. Christofias has asked to meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Tatat on May 23," Stefanou told journalists.

"We cannot allow for another failure with the Cyprus problem. We must prepare the groundwork very well so that reunification talks succeed this time around," added Stefanou.

Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders unexpectedly announced Thursday a meeting on May 23 to discuss prospects for the launch of new reunification talks.

In March, Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed to resume peace talks to end the island's decades-old division.

A panel of six working groups and seven technical committees, from both sides of the ethnic divide, are covering preparatory reunification issues ranging from environmental protection, health, security, power-sharing, culture, ways of linking the island's two economies as well as property and territory disputes.

With newly-elected Christofias in office, expectations are running high for a breakthrough in peace efforts to reunite the island which has been divided since 1974 after Turkey invaded the northern third of the island in response to an Athens-led coup to reunite the island with Greece.

UN attempts to reunify the island have repeatedly stalled. The latest in 2004 when former president Tassos Papadopoulos led the Greek Cypriot rejection of a UN reunification plan in a referendum - although Turkish Cypriots overwhelmingly voted in favour.

The two divided sides of Cyprus have agreed in principle to rejoin the island as a bizonal federation, but until now have not been able to agree a procedure. (dpa)