Annan meets with Adviser on Cyprus

The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has held a meeting in New York with his Special Adviser on Cyprus, a UN spokesman announced today.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting Tuesday evening, the Secretary-General said envoy Alvaro de Soto had given him a thorough briefing on the recent round of consultations. It is then "for me to take the next decisions on the next steps on where we go," the Secretary-General said.

When asked whether the Secretary-General had received messages from United States President George W. Bush or others on Cyprus, spokesman Fred Eckhard said Mr. Annan had been contacted by the US, United Kingdom and Dutch authorities.

In response to a question on the Secretary-General's next move on Cyprus, Mr. Eckhard said that the Secretary-General realized that time was short, but he had not made any decisions and was considering his options.