SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCLUDES TRIP TO KUWAIT; ARRIVES IN YEMEN
Press Release
SG/T/2015/Rev.1
SECRETARY-GENERAL CONCLUDES TRIP TO KUWAIT; ARRIVES IN YEMEN
19951229 SANA'A, 29 December -- At 10:00 a.m. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros- Ghali visited the offices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in Kuwait, where he was received by the Resident Representative, Khaled Philby. Also present were the representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Mustafa Omar, and the representative of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Aboubakr Badawi. The Secretary- General was accompanied by the Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), Hazem El-Beblawi, and the Military Adviser Major-General Franklin Van Kappen, as well as the United Nations Iraq- Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) Force Commander, Major General Jian Giuseppe Santillo.Addressing the staff of the United Nations system in Kuwait, the Secretary-General said that development programmes constituted the bulk of United Nations activity and expressed his appreciation to the staff for their hard work and dedication. "You represent the real capital of the United Nations", he said. It was imperative, he added, for the different agencies to coordinate among themselves and to exchange information. The Secretary- General told the staff that although the Organization was going through a severe financial crisis, it was still the only forum that was able to cope with the global problems that confront the international community today and those that would confront it in the next century.
The Secretary-General left Kuwait City at 11:30 a.m. at the end of his three-day official visit to Kuwait, which was his first since taking office as Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The Secretary-General arrived in Sana'a at 2:30 p.m. at the start of a two-day official visit to Yemen. He was received at the airport by the Vice- Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Abdel Karim Al-Eriani; the Under- Secretary of the Foreign Ministry, Ghaleb Ali Gamil; the Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations, Abdulla Al-Ashtal, the Resident Coordinator of the United nations system's Operational Activities for development in Yemen, Onder Yucer; and representatives of the United Nations system, as well as members of the diplomatic corps.
- 2 - Press Release SG/T/2015/Rev.1 29 December 1995
In a brief airport statement the Secretary-General said he was pleased to be in Sana'a, on the first-even visit by a United Nations Secretary-General to Yemen. He looked forward to his talks with the Yemeni leadership, which would focus on the strong relationship between Yemen and the United Nations and ways of consolidating it.
In a brief airport statement the Secretary-General said he was pleased to be in Sana'a, on the first-ever visit by a United Nations Secretary-General to Yemen. He looked forward to his talks with the Yemeni leadership, which would focus on the strong relationship between Yemen and the United Nations and ways of consolidating it.
Responding to a question on a possible role of mediation for the United Nations in the dispute between Yemen and Eritrea over the Red Sea islands of Hanish, the Secretary-General said the United Nations was prepared to play the role of honest broker between the parties if they so desired. The peaceful resolution of conflicts through negotiations was one of the principles of the United Nations and he sincerely hoped that this dispute could be resolved through negotiations, so that peace could prevail in this important part of the world.
In the afternoon, the Secretary-General was given a one-hour walking tour of the 3,000-year old walled city of Sana'a, where he visited one of the oldest centres for traditional Yemeni handicrafts.
In the evening, the Secretary-General was the guest of honour at a dinner hosted by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Oil, Muhammad Said Al-Attar, attended by the Prime Minister, Abdel Aziz Abdel Ghani, the Vice-Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, the Under-Secretary of the Foreign Minister, Ambassador Al-Ashtal, and the UNDP Resident Coordinator.
Tomorrow, 30 December, the Secretary-General will hold meetings with the Vice-Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, the Prime Minister, the President of the Republic, Lieutenant General Ali Abdallah Saleh, and the Speaker of the Parliament, Sheikh Abdulla Ben Hussein Al-Ahmar and with members of the Foreign Affairs Committee. He will also attend a luncheon in his honour given by the Prime Minister. At 6:30 p.m. tomorrow, the Secretary-General will give a press conference for the local and international media.
The Secretary-General is accompanied on this visit by ESCWA Executive Secretary and Military Adviser.
On the morning of Sunday, 31 December, the Secretary-General will tour Aden and meet with the Governor, at the conclusion of his visit to Yemen.
The Secretary-General will then fly from Aden to Asmara for talks with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki.
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