ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN WASHINGTON, D.C., 25 MAY

The Secretary-General travelled to Washington, D.C., on the morning of Thursday, 25 May.

He attended a luncheon hosted by the John Quincy Adams Society, an informal group of moderate Republicans from the House of Representatives. Over 40 members of the House attended the luncheon, along with a similar number of members of the business community. The Secretary-General addressed the gathering (see Press Release SG/SM/7420) and then participated in a question and answer session.

After lunch, Mr. Annan visited both the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General delivered a commencement address at the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). In that address, which was on the theme of the United Nations role in maintaining peace and security, the Secretary-General addressed some of the peacekeeping issues raised most recently by the mission in Sierra Leone.

The United Nations can do more than just keep the peace between angels, he argued. With a credible and robust presence it can deter and discourage potential violators of the peace agreement.

He called for reconsideration of some of the most basic assumptions about peacekeeping -- neutrality, the good faith of the parties and non-use of force. He asked how we can better protect a people from leaders who are so insular and narrow that they neglect their people's interests (see Press Release SG/SM/7421).

The Secretary-General returned to New York in the early evening.