SECRETARY-GENERAL'S VISIT TO WASHINGTON, D.C. 15-16 MARCH

16 March 1999

Press Release
SG/T/2171

SECRETARY-GENERAL'S VISIT TO WASHINGTON, D.C. 15-16 MARCH

19990316 The Secretary-General departed New York in the evening of Monday, 15 March, in order to address, early the following morning, the opening of a three-day United States/Africa ministerial meeting entitled "Partnership for the Twenty-first Century".

In his speech to the Conference, the Secretary-General recalled some of the major themes of his report to the Security Council on Africa (document A/52/871-S/1998/318) for reducing the continent's debt burden. He stressed the importance of the United States helping Africa to reach its full potential. "Africa needs its partnership with America to be as profound in its consequences as it is admirable in its aspiration", he said. (For the full text of the statement, see Press Release SG/SM/6924.)

That same morning, he also met with the United States Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, and the Secretary-General of Organization of African Unity (OAU), Salim A. Salim. Also participating were Howard Wolpe, United States Special Envoy for Africa's Great Lake Region; Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Thomas Pickering; Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, Susan Rice; and Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, David Welch.

They discussed several African situations, including the conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sierra Leone. On the Democratic Republic of the Congo, they discussed ways of supporting efforts towards a ceasefire and a peaceful resolution to that crisis. On Sierra Leone, they discussed the dialogue between the Government of Sierra Leone and rebel forces and the need to support the Economic Community of West African States' Monitoring Observer Group (ECOMOG) logistically and materially. On the conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia, they discussed their deep concern over the heavy human toll on both sides and explored what could be done to obtain an urgent cessation of hostilities. The meeting lasted about 40 minutes.

The Secretary-General returned to New York late that morning.

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