ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE, 24 AUGUST

At the end of his holiday in Ghana, the Secretary-General accepted a long-standing invitation to meet in Côte d’Ivoire with that country’s President Laurent Gbagbo.  He travelled on Saturday, 24 August, arriving in time to lunch with the President.

Mr. Annan was greeted on arrival at the airport by local heads of United Nations agencies in Côte d’Ivoire.

After their meeting in Abidjan, the Secretary-General told reporters that he and the President had discussed relations between the United Nations and Côte d’Ivoire and the situation in Central Africa.  Mr. Annan welcomed the process of reconciliation in Côte d’Ivoire.

On Angola, where he would travel the next day, the Secretary-General said he hoped his visit would encourage all parties to stay on the path to peace, and he said he would work on the very serious humanitarian situation with President Eduardo dos Santos.