SECRETARY-GENERAL'S ACTIVITIES IN ITALY 2-3 JUNE
Press Release
SG/T/2183
SECRETARY-GENERAL'S ACTIVITIES IN ITALY 2-3 JUNE
19990604 At the invitation of His Holiness Pope John Paul II, the Secretary-General travelled to Rome to meet with the Pope, in order to assess the situation in the Balkans and the prospects for resolving the crisis and building peace in the region.The Secretary-General travelled on Tuesday evening, 2 June.
On Wednesday, before lunching with His Holiness, the Secretary-General met with Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. They discussed issues related to Kosovo, efforts to find a political solution, the need for reconstruction after the conflict and the Italian-United Nations relationship.
After his meeting with Pope John Paul, the Secretary-General described their "profound exchanges on the moral and other issues underlying the Kosovo crisis". He stated that "His Holiness has taken a principal stand on the great issues of today and this has created great admiration from believers and non-believers". "In this current tragic crisis", he continued, "he puts emphasis on the non-use of force whenever possible, but of course, like all of us, he shares the pain and tragedy of the people in the region in the Balkans and especially the Kosovars".
On that day, it had been announced that an agreement had been reached in Belgrade with the Yugoslav authorities. At a press encounter before his departure from Rome, the Secretary-General stated that he was "very pleased, but without knowing the details, without knowing the reactions of President Milosevic ... it would be too premature to jump for joy". He also applauded the efforts of Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari and Russian envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin.
The Secretary-General returned to New York that evening.
* *** *