SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITS EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, CONCLUDES STAY IN POLAND
The Secretary-General was in Strasbourg, France, on Monday, 13 November, to pay an official visit to the European Parliament.
At 11 a.m. the Secretary-General met with Judge Richard Goldstone, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
The Prosecutor informed the Secretary-General on the latest developments regarding the two tribunals, including the indictments today by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia of the vice- president of the self-proclaimed entity of "Herceg-Bosna", Dario Kordic and five other prominent Bosnian Croats for the "ethnic cleansing" of the Lasva Valley area.
At noon, the Secretary-General met Pauline Green, Head of the Group of Socialist Parties in the European Parliament. They discussed the financial crisis of the United Nations and the contribution of the European Union to the peaceful settlement of conflicts, in particular, Cyprus and Western Sahara.
At 3.30 p.m. the Secretary-General met with the Ambassadors of the Maghreb Union posted in Brussels: Missoum Sbih (Algeria), Ahmed Ahmed El-Houderi (Libya), Ahmed Ould Sid Ahmed (Mauritania), Mohammed Guedira (Morocco) and Taher Sioud (Tunisia). The Ambassadors briefed the Secretary- General on the progress achieved in the preparation of the Barcelona Conference on Euro-Mediterranean Affairs.
At 4 p.m. the Secretary-General visited the Town Hall of Strasbourg where he was received by Mayor Catherine Trautmann. The Secretary-General signed the Golden Book for distinguished visitors. The Mayor underlined the the role played by Strasbourg in technical assistance projects, such as thereconstruction of Sarajevo. The Secretary-General stressed the important role played by the cities of the world in favour of a better world and thanked Mrs. Trautmann for her support to the United Nations.
At 6 p.m. the Secretary-General visited the headquarters of the Council of Europe. He was accompanied by Vladimir Petrovsky, the Director-General of the United Nations Office in Geneva.
The Secretary-General first met with Miguel Angel Martinez, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The President briefed the Secretary-General on the enlargement of the composition of the Council of Europe which now includes 38 Member States. The Secretary- General expressed his appreciation for the support given by this important European institution to the United Nations. The two interlocutors also discussed the questions of former Yugoslavia and Cyprus.
The Secretary-General then paid a visit to Marie-Louise Overvald, the Chairwoman in the Office of the Minister Deputies of the Council of Europe and the Ambassador of Denmark. They discussed the financial crisis of the United Nations and the Secretary-General said that it was important that European institutions such as the Council of Europe played a role in trying to find solutions. They also discussed the importance to coordinate aid to developing countries and countries in transition.
Finally, the Secretary-General met the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, David Tarschys. They reviewed the excellent cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe and Mr. Tarschys paid a special tribute to the role played in this regard by Mr. Petrovsky. They recalled that their objectives in such fields as democratization and humanitarian assistance were similar and that the respective activities should be complementary. At 7:30 p.m. the Secretary-General left the "Palais of Europe".
In the evening, the Secretary-General attended a special concert by the Oxford Chamber Orchestra organized in honour of the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations.
On 11 November, the third day of his visit to Poland the Secretary- General, accompanied by Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, travelled from Warsaw to Katowice and then proceeded to Auschwitz, a former Nazi concentration camp.
After touring the camp, the Secretary-General laid a wreath under the "Wall of Death". In a statement to the press, the Secretary-General indicated that the "Auschwitz camp" is a symbol of all the evil that a man can do to a man. It is important that people all over the world know what happened here to avoid the repetition of another Auschwitz in a different part of the world. The international community has to continue to strive to prevent similar atrocities from happening ever again. This is one of the objectives of the United Nations.
Later, the Secretary-General went to another part of the camp, the Birkenau concentration camp, where he laid a wreath under the Memorial of Nations.
At 2 p.m., the Secretary-General arrived at Cracow where he was welcomed by the Governor, Tadeusz Piekarz, who hosted a lunch in his honour. In a toast, the Secretary-General stated that his visit to Cracow was an excellent reminder that the United Nations was supported by a vast coalition of entities around the world, including provincial authorities. He concluded that this reservoir of support and understanding provided strength for the works of the United Nations in the broadest sense.
On the morning of Sunday, 12 November, his last day in Poland, the Secretary-General met with Polish correspondents. At noon, the Secretary- General departed Cracow for Strasbourg, France. The rest of the day in Strasbourg was spent privately.
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__________ * Revised to incorporate additional information as received from the Spokesman's office.