SECRETARY-GENERAL'S VISIT TO MINNESOTA AND OHIO, 16-18 MAY

Press Release
SG/T/2141

SECRETARY-GENERAL'S VISIT TO MINNESOTA AND OHIO, 16-18 MAY

The Secretary-General began his three-day visit to Minnesota and Ohio on Saturday, 16 May. He arrived in the Twin Cities that afternoon.

Upon arrival, the Secretary-General visited the Center for Victims of Torture, where he was greeted by Douglas Johnson, Executive Director of the Center. During the visit, the Secretary-General was briefed extensively on the activities of the Center, which is a non-profit organization devoted to the treatment and healing of victims of torture. He also met with former "clients" of the Center and heard first-hand accounts of their experiences. Minnesota United States Senators Rod Grams and Paul Wellstone were also present during the visit.

Later in the afternoon at his hotel suite, the Secretary-General met with a delegation from "Books for Africa", a non-governmental organization which provides books and other printed material to countries in that continent. In the evening, the Secretary-General attended a reception and dinner hosted in his honour by the President of Macalester College, Michael McPhearson.

At midday on Sunday, 17 May, the Secretary-General delivered the commencement address at Macalester College during its 1998 graduation ceremonies. In his speech, he called on the graduates to consider service to humankind as a career. The Secretary-General sounded a familiar note when he said that "individuals can make a difference". (See Press Release SG/SM/6563.)

On Monday morning, 18 May, before flying to Cleveland, Ohio, the Secretary-General attended a breakfast meeting hosted jointly by the Minnesota Business Partnership, the Minnesota Center for Corporate Responsibility and the Caux Roundtable. Participants included the Chairmen and CEOs of Honeywell, Medtronic and other Minnesota-based corporations, former United States Vice-President Walter Mondale and Minnesota Senator Rod Grams. In his remarks, the Secretary-General referred to the role in society by the private sector and the important contributions to the business community that the United Nations system has and continues to provide .

- 2 - Press Release SG/T/2141 27 May 1998

At noon in Cleveland, the Secretary-General attended a lunch hosted by Ambassador Milton A. Wolf and the Cleveland Council on World Affairs. This was followed by a press conference at the Cole Center of the Cleveland State University. During the question and answer period, the Secretary-General addressed various topics, including United States debt to the United Nations, Middle East issues, the recent nuclear tests conducted by India and the current situation in Africa. In the afternoon, the Secretary-General met with the Editorial Board of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. During the exchange, the Secretary-General responded to questions on the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, India's nuclear tests, United States arrears, Iraq, expansion of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), peace in Northern Ireland, Democratic People's Republic of Korea's famine situation and the situation in the Middle East.

In the evening, the Secretary-General was the keynote speaker at the Seventy-Fifth Anniversary Gala Reception and Dinner of the Cleveland Council on Foreign Relations (see Press Release SG/SM/6564). This event, attended by more than 1,200 guests, was hosted by Ambassador Charles Dunbar, Chairman of that night's gala event, and also the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Western Sahara.

The Secretary-General flew back to New York later that evening.

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