SECRETARY-GENERAL ADDRESSES SUMMIT OF PEACEMAKERS IN SHARM EL-SHEIKH, EGYPT
Press Release
SG/T/2032/Rev.1*
SECRETARY-GENERAL ADDRESSES SUMMIT OF PEACEMAKERS IN SHARM EL-SHEIKH, EGYPT
19960313 SHARM EL-SHEIKH, 13 March -- Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali declared today that the United Nations stood ready to serve as a mechanism for mobilization on a global scale to combat terrorism.Addressing the plenary session of the Summit of Peacemakers, which opened in Sharm el-Sheikh at noon today and was co-chaired by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and United States President Bill Clinton, the Secretary-General said that terror and terrorism had declared war against peace and security. He recalled that at the first-ever summit of Security Council members, in 1992, and at the special commemorative session of the General Assembly, in 1995, heads of State and government agreed to act together to defeat terrorism. "The task before us", he added, "is to take this normative foundation as our platform for rapid and decisive action." (See Press Release SG/SM/5922 issued today.)
At the conclusion of the Summit, the participants adopted a final declaration, which expressed their full support for the Middle East process, their determination to promote security and stability, and their strong condemnation of all acts of terror. The Secretary-General, in a statement, affirmed that the United Nations would fully participate in the working group mentioned in operative paragraph (f) of the declaration and will put at the disposal of the participants in the group all the documents and material available to the Organization and to its specialized agencies on the question of the elimination of terrorism. It is expected that the working group will convene soon.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., the Secretary-General attended the luncheon hosed by President Mubarak for the Kings, heads of States and government, special envoys and foreign ministers attending the Summit.
During the course of today's Summit meeting, the Secretary-General had discussions with the President of the Palestinian National Authority, Yasser Arafat; Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres; King Hassan of Morocco; the Crown Prince of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamed Bin Isa al-Khalifah; President Jacques Chirac of France; President Boris Yeltsin of the Russian Federation; and President Suleyman Demirel of Turkey.
Earlier today, at 9:45 a.m., the Secretary-General met the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Yemen, Dr. Abdulkarim Al-Eryany, who briefed
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the Secretary-General on the latest developments regarding efforts to reach a peaceful settlement to the dispute between Yemen and Eritrea over the Red Sea islands of Hanish.
At 10:30 a.m., the Secretary-General met the Foreign Minister of Algeria, Ahmed Attaf. They reviewed the question of Western Sahara and discussed efforts to break the current impasse.
At 7 p.m., the Secretary-General met the Foreign Minister of Tunisia, Habib Ben Yehia. They discussed a number of regional issues, including the recent mission to the Sudan and other countries by the Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Chinmaya Gharekhan, in implementation of Security Council resolution 1044 (1996). They also reviewed the situations regarding Libya and Iraq, and the question of Western Sahara.
The Secretary-General will make a stop-over in Cairo tomorrow on his way to Geneva.
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