ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN HONDURAS, 18-19 MARCH

The Secretary-General arrived in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in the afternoon of Monday, 18 March.

He went to the Presidential House were he was greeted by Honduran President Ricardo Maduro Joest.  The President awarded the Secretary-General the Gran Cruz of Morazan, the nation's highest award.

The President then hosted a lunch in honour of the Secretary-General, after which the President introduced the Secretary-General to members of his Cabinet and they had an informal chat.  After that, the two men had an encounter with the press.

The Secretary-General then went to United Nations House, the first common UN facility established in all of Latin America.  He addressed the staff, took a few of their questions and then mingled with them.

On Tuesday morning, the Secretary-General launched the National Forum on HIV/AIDS.  The moving ceremony was attended by President Ricardo Maduro and other Government officials.  In his remarks, the Secretary-General pointed out that 60 per cent of all cases of AIDS reported in Central America are in Honduras.  He called on the Forum to take the lead in providing care for those infected and to take measures to halt the spread of the disease.

After the ceremony, he and his wife Nane embraced a number of AIDS victims who also participated.

They then traveled to Mexico City.