TOAST OFFERED BY SECRETARY-GENERAL AT LUNCHEON GIVEN IN HIS HONOUR BY GOVERNOR OF CRACOW

Following is the text of the toast offered by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali on 11 November at a luncheon given in his honour by the Governor of the City of Cracow:

I thank you for your warm welcome to Cracow. It has been a great pleasure for me to visit this historic city. It has been a great privilege for me to be your guest here. I am grateful to you for your generous hospitality.

I know that Cracow is the industrial, cultural, and educational centre of southern Poland, and a city of great beauty. Since my first visit to Cracow many, many years ago I sense here something more than the usual commercial and administrative activities of a regional centre. I feel the very spirit of Polish history. The Cathedral of St. Stanislas both commemorates, and contains within its walls and its soil, the long history of this country. I feel privileged, therefore, to be visiting a city which has such a deep spiritual and historic symbolism for all Poles. This is an inspiring place. My understanding of your nation's long and troubled history and of your people's struggles for self-expression has been greatly enhanced by this visit.

I am privileged therefore to be in Cracow, the seat of the first Polish dynasty, to celebrate the declaration of Polish independence 77 years ago.

The United Nations is an association of sovereign States. As Secretary- General, I therefore have business mainly with the governments of the Member States. I am a frequent visitor to capital cities.

But the day-to-day business of international relations must be cemented and underpinned by the support and understanding of people and of their communities: cities, towns, villages and hamlets.

The United Nations, in the broadest sense, belongs to the Peoples, as well as to the Nations of the world. The very Charter of the United Nations is written in the name of "the Peoples".

The United Nations is supported by a vast coalition of support around the world. It includes non-governmental organizations, religious groups, trade unions, representatives of the private sector, and provincial local leaders. This reservoir of support and understanding provides strength for the work of the United Nations in the broadest sense.

Today I have seen evidence of that broad support and understanding. I am grateful for it. It is an important source of strength for me and for my organization.

My visit to Cracow has not only been enjoyable. It has reminded me that, while international relations are made in capital cities, they are practised by governments, communities and people at every level.

Thank you again for affording me this opportunity of visiting Cracow. Thank you again for your warm hospitality.

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