SECRETARY-GENERAL ADDRESSES CIS SUMMIT MEETING IN MOSCOW MEETS WITH PRESIDENTS OF UKRAINE, TAJIKISTAN

Press Release
SG/T/2054

SECRETARY-GENERAL ADDRESSES CIS SUMMIT MEETING IN MOSCOW MEETS WITH PRESIDENTS OF UKRAINE, TAJIKISTAN

MOSCOW, 17 May -- Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali today addressed the Summit Meeting of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Describing the CIS as the "cornerstone of the post- cold-war system", the Secretary-General said its international role would be ever more important in the future. This was the first time the Secretary- General was invited to address a CIS Summit.

At 4 p.m. the Secretary-General held a bilateral meeting with the President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma. The Secretary-General thanked Mr. Kuchma for his country's contribution to United Nations peace-keeping operations, currently in Eastern Slavonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Croatia, Tajikistan and Angola.

They discussed President Kuchma's suggestion to establish an "economic security council" and agreed on the importance of strengthening the economic activities of the United Nations.

They also discussed the Chernobyl nuclear accident and efforts of the international community to mitigate its effects.

At 5 p.m. the Secretary-General met the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rakhmonov. During the 45-minute meeting, they had an in-depth review of the situation in Tajikistan, in the light of recent developments in the Tavildara region, where cease-fire violations had been reported recently. The Secretary-General emphasized the need to guarantee the safety and freedom of movement of the United Nations observers throughout Tajikistan. President Rakhmonov thanked the Secretary-General for the assistance given by the United Nations to achieve a comprehensive political settlement and promised his country's full cooperation.

On Wednesday afternoon, 15 May, the Secretary-General had held a meeting with His Holiness Alexi II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. The Patriarch expressed the support of the Russian Orthodox Church for the United Nations in its efforts to achieve world peace.

The Secretary-General thanked the Patriarch for his support and for attending events in Geneva in July 1995, marking the fiftieth anniversary of

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the United Nations. The Secretary-General underlined the importance of religious, spiritual and moral values in working to achieve the objectives of the United Nations. He applauded the Patriarch's activities in favour of inter-religious dialogue and his message of spiritual tolerance.

The Secretary-General is expected to return to New York tomorrow afternoon, Saturday 18 May.

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