Statement
to the press by Alvaro de Soto
Special
Adviser of the Secretary-General on Cyprus
UN Headquarters, December 19, 2002
De
Soto: You will be hearing from the President of the Security Council
shortly. I can only say that the Secretary General and I have received the
strong support from the members of the Security Council. There’s a lot of work
to be done in the ten weeks ahead and it will be done I hope. My colleagues are
on the island and we hope that we will achieve success in the time remaining.
Q: What is your next step?
I understand you are going to
De Soto: The Secretary General has written to the
two leaders today as well as the leaders in Greece and Turkey setting out the
road ahead as he sees it and the work hew thinks that needs to be done and
drawing their attention on the need to move very quickly on a number of issues
that are pending.
Q: So the next deadline what it is, do they have to
answer during certain days?
De Soto: We don’t like to talk about a deadline.
We are hoping for work to take place in this week,
at least some preliminary work, and work to take place by each of the two
sides separately in preparation of a very intensive effort that should take
place in January particularly.
Q: Do you mean the ad hoc committees?
De Soto: Well that’s one of the areas in which work needs to be done.
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