ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN GABON, 28-30 APRIL
The Secretary-General arrived in Libreville, Gabon, in the evening of Friday, 28 April.
His official visit to Gabon began on Saturday morning with a meeting with the Prime Minister Jean-François Ntoutoume-Emane. They reviewed some of the African conflicts in which Gabon has played a mediating role, such as the Central African Republic and the two Congos. The Secretary-General said he was grateful that Gabon had so generously received tens of thousands of refugees from conflicts in neighbouring States. The Prime Minister emphasized the debt burden Gabon was carrying and the poverty of the country despite its oil revenue.
The Secretary-General then met with several Gabonese women leaders, headed by the Minister of Family Affairs and the Promotion of Women, Angelique Ngoma. She described the effects of poverty on the countrys women.
At midday the Secretary-General went to the Presidential Palace to meet with President El Hadj Omar Bongo. With their delegations, they discussed a range of African issues, in particular the land dispute in Zimbabwe. They then met privately for about three-quarters of an hour.
Afterwards, the Secretary-General met with the Gabonese press for about 20 minutes. He then attended a luncheon in his honour hosted by the Prime Minister.
In the afternoon, the Secretary-General accompanied his wife, Nane, on a short walk from his hotel to visit a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) project, where she presented certificates to young mothers and to one young father who had successfully completed a UNICEF course in infant nutrition. Mrs. Annan gave a strong endorsement to breastfeeding.
In the evening the Secretary-General was the guest of President Bongo and his wife, Edith, at a dinner organized in his honour.
On Sunday, the Secretary-General concluded his visit to Gabon with a luncheon hosted by the Foreign Minister, Jean Ping. In the afternoon, he travelled to Bangui to begin the first-ever visit of a United Nations Secretary-General to the Central African Republic.