SECRETARY-GENERAL'S VISIT TO HAITI

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali arrived in Port-au-Prince on Saturday afternoon, 14 October, for a two-day visit to Haiti. He was greeted at the airport by the Prime Minister, Smarck Michel, and Foreign Minister Claudette Werleigh, as well as his Special Representative in Haiti, Lakhdar Brahimi.

The Secretary-General went straight from the airport to the headquarters of United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) where he was briefed on the operation by Mr. Brahimi and senior Mission officials. He then inaugurated an exhibition, at the Musée du Panthéon National, organized by the United Nations agencies in Haiti to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations.

In the evening the Secretary-General met in tête-à-tête with President Jean Bertrand Aristide for an hour and 20 minutes. Their talks dealt with the work of UNMIH, the forthcoming presidential elections, the role of the United Nations agencies in Haiti and the need for continuing economic assistance from the international community. The Secretary-General then attended a dinner hosted by President Aristide.

On Sunday, 15 October, the Secretary-General attended a ceremony held at the National Palace commemorating the first anniversary of the return of President Aristide to Haiti. The Secretary-General delivered a statement (currently available as a press release in French only -- SG/SM/5766-HI/57) and later held a second meeting with President Aristide.

At the airport before departure, the Secretary-General met with United States Vice-President Al Gore for just over 30 minutes. They discussed the question of a transitional period after UNMIH leaves Haiti, as well as the financial crisis of the United Nations.

The Secretary-General then departed Port-au-Prince for San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, where he was to attend the Ibero-American Summit.

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