Security Council
Distr.: General
Letter dated 10 December 2001 from the Secretary-General addressed to the President of the Security Council
I have the honour to refer to my mission of good offices in Cyprus. In my report to the Security Council on the United Nations operation in Cyprus of 30 November 2001 (S/2001/1122, para. 12), I referred to the meeting scheduled for 4 December between Mr. Glafcos Clerides and Mr. Rauf Denktash in the United Nations Protected Area, in the presence of my Special Adviser on Cyprus, Mr. Alvaro de Soto. This meeting having taken place, I have pleasure in informing you that Mr. Clerides and Mr. Denktash have agreed to begin direct talks, at my invitation in the exercise of my mission of good offices. These talks will start on 16 January 2002.
I append for your information the text of the agreement of 4 December, which was read out to the press by Mr. De Soto in the presence of both leaders immediately after the meeting (see annex).
This agreement is a positive development and I would like to hope that, as they have agreed, they will negotiate in good faith until they achieve a comprehensive settlement.
(Signed) Kofi A. Annan
Annex
[Original: English]
At the meeting held today, 4 December 2001, between Mr. Glafcos Clerides, the Greek Cypriot leader, and Mr. Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, at the residence of the United Nations Chief of Mission and in the presence of Mr. Alvaro de Soto, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Cyprus, the two leaders agreed to the following:
• That the Secretary-General, in the exercise of his mission of good offices, would invite the two leaders to direct talks;
• That these talks will be held in Cyprus starting in mid-January 2002 on United Nations premises;
• That there will be no preconditions;
• That all issues will be on the table;
• That they will continue to negotiate in good faith until a comprehensive settlement is achieved;
• That nothing will be agreed until everything is agreed.
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