SECRETARY-GENERAL'S VISITS TO UNITED KINGDOM AND AUSTRIA

Press Release
SG/T/2142

SECRETARY-GENERAL'S VISITS TO UNITED KINGDOM AND AUSTRIA

(Delayed in transmission.)

Secretary-General Kofi Annan left New York on Thursday, 25 June, for a European tour during which he spoke at the annual conference of a private foundation in Ditchley, England, and chaired a panel discussion on human rights in Vienna, Austria.

On arrival in London, the Secretary-General met with the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Emaka Anyaoku. The next day, 26 June, he gave an interview to Jonathan Dimbleby of ITV, during which -- among other things -- the Secretary-General warned that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would need United Nations Security Council clearance for any military intervention in Kosovo.

"All use of military power by regional groups should be sanctioned by the United Nations", he said. "It would set a dangerous precedent, but, of course, we will need to see what develops. If NATO were to go in without (Security) Council approval -- and they have three seats on the Council -- who else are they going to discipline tomorrow? How could they tell other regions or other governments not to do the same thing without Council approval?"

Later that day, the Secretary-General attended a luncheon hosted by Lord Carrington, chairman of a task force, during which they discussed its report, as well as other possible areas of study that Lord Carrington might consider undertaking. In the evening, the Secretary-General was the keynote speaker at the annual conference of the private Ditchley Foundation specializing in international affairs. He spoke about the role of the United Nations in maintaining international peace and security.

The Secretary-General arrived in Vienna on 27 June, and he chaired a panel discussion with several Nobel laureates on "Human rights and the rule of law in societies in transition". Following the panel discussion, the Secretary-General attended the Vienna Public Assembly on Human Rights at the Austria Centre. There, he delivered an address on "Human rights and the rule of law in the twenty-first century". (For texts of Secretary-General's

- 2 - Press Release SG/T/2142 6 July 1998

statements, see Press Releases SG/SM/6614-HR/4373 and SG/SM/6615-HR/4374 of 26 June 1998.)

At the Vienna Public Assembly, the Secretary-General announced the news of the crash of the aircraft carrying his Special Representative in Angola, Maître Alioune Blondin Beye.

That evening, the Secretary-General attended a dinner given in his honour by Victor Klima, Chancellor of the Republic of Austria.

On Sunday, 28 June, the Secretary-General met with former United States President Jimmy Carter and a group of Nobel laureates, and attended a private lunch hosted by Pino Arlacchi, Director-General of the United Nations Office in Vienna, and a dinner given by Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Austrian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

The next day, 29 June, the Secretary-General addressed the staff of United Nations agencies at the Vienna International Centre, and gave a press conference during which he announced his plans to travel to Abuja, Nigeria, to meet with the authorities of that country. He told correspondents, "I would like to do everything I can to encourage the acceleration of a credible process that would return Nigeria to democratic civilian rule, starting with the release of the remaining political prisoners. Following intensified discussions in recent days, and a personal invitation from General Abubakar, I have decided that the time is ripe for me to undertake a visit to Nigeria."

The Secretary-General left Vienna for Abuja on the morning of Monday, 29 June.

* *** *