ON THE UNIVERSAL R-MATRIX OF U-Q(SL)OVER-CAP(2) AT ROOTS OF UNITY

We show that the action of the universal R-matrix of the affine <U-q(s l)over bar (2)> quantum algebra, when q is a root of unity, can be ren ormalized by some scalar factor to give a well-defined nonsingular exp ression, satisfying the Yang-Baxter equation. It can be reduced to int ertwining operators of representations, corresponding to Chiral Potts, if the parameters of these representations lie on the well-known alge braic curve. We also show that the affine <U-q(sl)over bar (2)> for q is a root of unity from the autoquasitriangular Hopf algebra in the se nse of Reshetikhin.