ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN WASHINGTON, D.C., 2 MAY

The Secretary-General, accompanied by his Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Terje Roed-Larsen, travelled to Washington, D.C. in the afternoon of Thursday, 2 May, for discussions with the so-called “Quartet” on the situation in the Middle East.

The meeting, which began at 3 p.m. in the U.S. State Department, comprised the Secretary-General and Mr. Roed-Larsen, United States Secretary of State Colin Powell, High Representative for European Union Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.  Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique also attended the meeting, as Spain was holding the rotating presidency of the European Union at the time.

Following the Quartet meeting, the principal participants held a joint press conference.  Colin Powell, on behalf of the Quartet, reiterated the commitment to working with the Israelis and the Palestinians, with Arab governments and with the international community “to restore the hope of all the people in the region for a peaceful, secure and prosperous future”.  The Secretary of State announced that a summit meeting would be planned for the early summer, details of which were still to be determined.

In answer to a question to the Secretary-General about the proposal for a multinational force, Mr. Annan responded that such a force would “give us the space we need to continue political and diplomatic discussions” and said that such an idea was part of “the package” of discussions.  He said that a force would help to create a secure and calm environment that would allow for reconstruction, delivery of humanitarian assistance, and could help strengthen Palestinian institutions, including security, “so that they can honour their commitments”.

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