We present an optical potential analysis of the antiproton-proton
interactions at low energies. Our optical potential is purely phenomenological,
and has been parametrized on data recently obtained by the Obelix Collaboration
at momenta below 180 MeV/c. It reasonably fits annihilation and elastic data
below 600 MeV/c, and allows us for an evaluation of the elastic cross section
and rho-parameter down to zero kinetic energy. Moreover we show that the
mechanism that depresses antiproton-nucleus annihilation cross sections at low
energies is present in antiproton-proton interactions too.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure