SECRETARY-GENERAL PROPOSES BASIS FOR AGREEMENT TO CYPRUS PARTIES

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General conveyed today to Mr. Clerides, the Greek Cypriot leader, and to Mr. Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, a document providing a basis for agreement on a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.

Copies of the document have also been conveyed to Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom in their capacity as guarantor Powers under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee.

The Secretary-General hopes that this initiative will help the parties focus on the decisions that they should take in the next few weeks in order to seize the opportunity at hand and bring about a settlement.

He has asked the leaders not to take a formal public position on what he has submitted to them but instead to take some time to consider them.  The Secretary-General hopes that they will exercise the necessary discretion in this regard.

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