ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN FRANCE, 15 - 16 MARCH
The Secretary-General arrived in Paris from London on the morning of Wednesday, 15 March.
His first engagement was a luncheon meeting with the President of the National Assembly, Laurent Fabius. They were joined, among others, by the President of the Defence Commission, Paul Quiles, and the President of the Foreign Affairs Commission, Jack Lang.
They reviewed international problems related to the cooperation between France and the United Nations. They analysed in depth the situation in Kosovo and the economic reconstruction there. They also discussed the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the application of Security Council resolution 1284 (1999) in Iraq, Millennium Assembly celebrations, and United Nations reform.
The members of the National Assembly conveyed to the Secretary-General the will of the French Parliament to reinforce its cooperation with the United Nations and to help the Organization fulfil its mandate.
The Secretary-General later met with the Minister of Defence, Alain Richard, following which he spoke briefly with journalists.
On Wednesday evening, the Secretary-General attended a dinner hosted by the Foreign Minister, Hubert Vedrine. They discussed in depth the situation in Kosovo and the future of the United Nations mission there.
They also reviewed the role of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) in light of Israel's announced intention to withdraw from south Lebanon.
Iraq also came up as did next steps in the search for a permanent peace in Western Sahara.
Other topics touched on were Cyprus, the Millennium Assembly and the financial situation of the United Nations.
On Thursday, 16 March, the Secretary-General held discussions with the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Koichiro Matsuura, on cooperation within the United Nations system. The international conference on "Education for All", which would take place in Dakar in April 2000, was at the top of the agenda. They also shared views on the agenda for the Millennium Assembly. The Secretary- General subsequently gave a press conference.
He then met with chiefs of United Nations agencies in France, sharing with them his views on their respective activities.
At a working lunch at the Elysee Palace with French President Jacques Chirac, the situation in Africa, and especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was discussed. Ways and means to implement the Lusaka agreement were analysed. Other African issues discussed included Burundi and Western Sahara. The Secretary-General and President Chirac exchanged views on Kosovo and on developments for the Millennium Assembly Summit. Before leaving the Elysee, the Secretary-General and President Chirac responded to questions from journalists.
The Secretary-General returned to New York on Thursday evening.