SECRETARY-GENERAL'S VISIT TO UNITED KINGDOM, 24-28 JUNE

28 June 1999

Press Release
SG/T/2187

SECRETARY-GENERAL'S VISIT TO UNITED KINGDOM, 24-28 JUNE

19990628 On Thursday, 24 June, the Secretary-General flew from Moscow to London for an unofficial visit to the United Kingdom.

At 6:00 pm, he met with Prime Minister Tony Blair, following which he met with the press.

That evening he dined with Clare Short, the UK Secretary for International Development. On Kosovo, they discussed the resource needs of the civil administration, in particular civilian police. Their talks also included crisis points in Africa, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Ethiopia/Eritrea border conflict, and the Sudan. They discussed development issues, such as education projects for girls, and efforts to reduce poverty.

On Friday morning, 25 June, the Secretary-General met with Foreign Minister Robin Cook for two hours. In a press encounter afterwards, the Secretary-General welcomed the United Kingdom's intention to sign in New York that afternoon a document committing British military assets for rapid deployment as part of United Nations peacekeeping.

Later that morning, the Secretary-General delivered the first Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Lecture on AIDS. In his speech he stressed that AIDS is far more than a medical problem, far more than a national problem, and far from over. Devoting particular attention to the pandemic's impact on Africa, the Secretary-General said it seemed to be "an unending spiral of death and despair". Today, more and more people are coming to understand that "AIDS is everybody's business", he said, noting that this is the motto of the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The Secretary-General challenged businesses to end discrimination against those affected by AIDS, to spread AIDS awareness, and to join the United Nations in its efforts to combat the disease. In issuing this challenge, he said that "today, we have the chance to practice hard-headed realism and heartfelt idealism at the same time -- to combine self-interest with a sense of shared responsibility" (see Press Release SG/SM/7045).

In the afternoon, he met with George Robertson, the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defence. Later he met with Pierre Sane, Secretary- General of Amnesty International.

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He travelled from London to Oxford late on Sunday afternoon. He was welcomed at Magdalen College by President Anthony Smith.

On Monday morning, the Secretary-General and his party were led on a tour of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies by Dr. Farhan Nizami, Centre Director.

At 11:00 a.m., the Secretary-General arrived at the Sheldonian Theatre to deliver the lecture on "The Dialogue of Civilization and the Need for a World Ethic". In his speech he said, "... we must accept -- and even cultivate -- the presence of different traditions within each region of the world, and indeed with each society ... The aim is not to eliminate differences between human beings, but to preserve and even celebrate them as a source of joy and strength" (for the full text of the speech, see Press Release SG/SM/7048). He took questions from the audience afterwards.

Dr. Farhan Nizami then hosted a luncheon in the Secretary-General's honour.

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General met the Director of Oxfam, David Bryer.

He returned to New York later that afternoon.

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