ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN AUSTRALIA, 18 - 22 FEBRUARY
The Secretary-General flew from Dili, East Timor, to Darwin, Australia, on Friday, 18 February. Darwin had hosted 2,000 refugees from East Timor when the militia ran amok in East Timor in September 1999. The religious and ethnic communities of Darwin, of which there are over 50, organized a tent city for the refugees. The people who fed them, clothed them and entertained them gathered in a large hall, where the Secretary-General thanked them collectively (see Press Release SG/SM/7308) and then individually, as he circulated around the hall. He sat with the Chief Minister of the Northern Territories, and members of his Government, to discuss ways they might help East Timor in its path towards independence.
He and his team then flew to Sydney, where he relaxed over the weekend before flying to the capital, Canberra, to begin his official visit on Monday, 21 February.
His first meeting of that day was with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. A number of issues were discussed, including East Timor, the need for a high-readiness brigade, Australia's relationship with the Association of South- East Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as Indonesia's transition to democracy and its economic rehabilitation.
Following the private meeting with the Prime Minister, the Secretary- General attended a round-table meeting with Mr. Howard, Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, and Defence Minister John Moore. This was followed by a 15-minute joint press briefing with Mr. Howard in the Prime Minister's Courtyard at Parliament House.
After the press conference, the Secretary-General held a private meeting with the Federal Opposition Leader, Kim Beazley, and the Shadow Opposition Minister for Foreign Affairs, Laurie Brereton.
The last meeting on Monday morning was with Foreign Minister Downer. Issues discussed included East Timor, the Komnas Ham (Indonesia's national committee on human rights), United Nations finances, the situation in Papua New Guinea and Bougainville, as well as Myanmar, Cyprus and the current situation in Kosovo.
At noon, the Prime Minister and Mrs. Howard hosted a luncheon in honour of the Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan at Parliament House. In his toast, the Secretary-General thanked the Australian Government and people for their efforts in East Timor and its willingness to take the lead in the deployment of the multinational force.
Following lunch, Secretary-General Annan met with the former Prime Minister of Australia and current Chairman of CARE Australia, Malcolm Fraser, with whom he discussed various humanitarian situations throughout the world, including the Balkans. Shortly before the meeting ended, Mr. Fraser introduced to the Secretary-General the three Australian aid workers (Steve Pratt, Peter Wallace and Branko Jelic) who had been detained on espionage charges in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and for whom the Secretary-General and other world leaders worked to gain their release.
A meeting with the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade followed.
The final official activity for the day was a meeting between the Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan and the Governor General of Australia, Sir William Deane, and Lady Deane, at Government House.
On Monday evening, the Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan were guests of honour at a dinner hosted by Foreign Minister Downer.
On Tuesday, the final day of activities in Australia, the Secretary- General met with the President and members of the executive board of the Australian Council of Overseas Aid (ACFOA), and representatives of the East Timorese community in Australia. Participants informed the Secretary-General of their current humanitarian-related activities in East Timor and thanked him for the United Nations Transition Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' excellent coordination of aid work in the territory.
Following this, the Secretary-General held a brief session with the United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA). The UNAA discussed with him its plans to diversify the work of the organization, with the hope of establishing a stronger United Nations presence in the state of Victoria. A brief encounter with the staff of the Canberra-based office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) followed.
Later in the day, the Secretary-General delivered an address to the National Press Club (see Press Release SG/SM/7312), followed by a question-and- answer session with the media. He was asked questions on a range of subjects, including the time table for a United Nations withdrawal from East Timor, mandatory sentencing in Australia, the Middle East peace process, the Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon, as well as on nuclear testing and disarmament.
Before departing Australia, Mr. Annan flew to Sydney, where he visited the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) and met with the staff of UNIC and the Australian National Committee of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).