Tests reveal white powder on mail received by UN in Cyprus harmless

In-depth tests of the unknown substance found on a piece of mail received at the United Nations office in Cyprus show that it is harmless and poses no danger, the UN mission in the country was informed today.

Yesterday, the office of Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Adviser on Cyprus, Alvaro de Soto, received a piece of mail from overseas containing a suspicious white powder.

The discovery forced the scheduled meeting between the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, and Greek Cypriot leader, Glafcos Clerides, to be moved from the UN protected area in Nicosia to Ledra Palace, another UN building in the buffer zone between north and south Nicosia.

UN staff were able to return to their offices today, and the scheduled technical committee meetings will take place at the Nicosia Conference Centre venue as usual.