SECRETARY-GENERAL'S VISIT TO ARGENTINA AND COLOMBIA
Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali arrived in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina on Sunday evening, 15 October. On Monday morning he attended the inaugural ceremony of the Ibero-American Summit meeting, including the hoisting of the Ibero-American flag and the United Nations flag. That was followed by the first working session, where the Secretary-General delivered his address (see Press Release SG/SM/5767/Rev.1). During the course of the Summit the Secretary- General had the opportunity to encounter almost all the heads of State and government represented at the Summit, including the King of Spain and the President of the Spanish Government and the Presidents of Honduras, Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Brazil, and the Vice-President of the Dominican Republic.
The Secretary-General attended a luncheon hosted by the President of Argentina, Carlos Saúl Menem. In the afternoon the Secretary-General met President Ramiro de Leon Carpio of Guatemala. They discussed the current political situation in the country, in the aftermath of the recent killings, the Presidential elections due to be held on 12 November, the ongoing political negotiations on agrarian reform and the need for the continuing support of the international community of the democratization process.
The Secretary-General then met with the President of Costa Rica, Jose Figueres; they discussed the current situation in Guatemala, the United Nations financial crisis and the forthcoming Costa Rican Chairmanship of the Group of 77 developing countries and China in January 1996.
At 7:15 p.m. the Secretary-General met the President of Portugal, Mario Soares. Their talks centred on Angola and the question of East Timor. At 8:15 p.m. the Secretary-General met the President of Nicaragua, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, who thanked the Secretary-General for the assistance provided to her country by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and other United Nations agencies and programmes since the last elections. President Chamorro invited the Secretary-General to Managua in January 1997, to witness the transfer of power to a newly, democratically elected President.
In the evening the Secretary-General attended a reception hosted by President Manem in honour of the heads of State and government participating in the Summit.
The Secretary-General departed San Carlos de Bariloche on Tuesday morning, 17 October, for Cartagena, Colombia to attend the Non-Aligned Movement Summit meeting.
On Wednesday morning, 18 October, the Secretary-General attended the inaugural ceremony of the eleventh Non-Aligned Movement Summit in the Getsemani Auditorium in Cartagena. The speakers at the inaugural ceremony included President Soaharto of Indonesia, President Ernesto Samper of Colombia and the Secretary-General. (See Press Release SG/SM/5772.)
At noon, the Secretary-General was expected to meet with the President of Algeria, Liamine Zeroual. In the afternoon, his schedule included meetings with President Samper and Colombian Foreign Minister Rodrigo Pardo Garcia-Peña, as well as a meeting with President Fidel V. Ramos of the Philippines.
In the evening the Secretary-General will attend a dinner hosted by the President of Colombia.
The Secretary-General is expected to leave Cartagena, Thursday, 19 October, en route to New York.