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UN SECRETARY GENERALS' RESPONSES TO CORRESPONDENTS
12
December 2002
Q.
The talks collapsed in
SG. I wouldn't call it a collapse. By collapse you mean we don't have an
agreement yet. I think we will assess where we are and then see we how move
forward. But, I wouldn't say the talks collapsed. We didn’t have an agreement,
but we will continue.
Q. Are you disappointed sir? I think
the United Nations and all the international community invested a lot in this
effort, the most serious one for some time.
SG. Absolutely. We were very close
and I was very hopeful that we could get an agreement. And I recall telling the
Turkish leader Mr Erdogan, for a known soccer player like himself that the game
is not over until the final whistle. And we will get there.
Q. What is the next step? I know that
this may be a question you have no answer to yet.
SG. I think we need to take stock,
reassess and analyze what happened and decide how to move forward.
Q. Could you say who is responsible
for the failure?
SG. I think it is too early for me to
get into that yet.
Q. There are elections in Cyprus
soon. We asked you a few months ago and you answered it was too early to make an
assessment. Now they are a couple of months away.
SG. Yes in February.
Q. What is going to happen now?
SG. Well, I hope the work that has
been done will not be wasted and that the people of
Q. Will you ask the Security Council
to endorse your plan, Sir?
SG.
As I said, I am going to analyze the situation and determine what further steps
I should take. At this stage I haven't determined whether to go to the Council
to seek endorsement.
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