ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN FRANCE, 5 - 6 SEPTEMBER 2002

Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in France from South Africa early on Thursday, 5 September.

In the afternoon, the Secretary-General met with President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and President Paul Biya of Cameroon, who discussed, in his presence, the Bakassi Peninsula between those two countries, as well as other issues of common interest.

In the course of their meeting, both Presidents agreed to respect and implement the decision of the International Court of Justice on the Bakassi Peninsula; to establish an implementation mechanism with the support of the United Nations; and to resume, in Abuja on 30 September, ministerial-level meetings of the Joint Commission.  They also agreed on the need for confidence-building measures.  (See Press Release SG/SM/8368-AFR/476.)

He met later that day in Paris with French Foreign Minister Dominique Galouzeau de Villepin, with whom he discussed a number of wide-ranging issues, including the Bakassi Peninsula, the Great Lakes region of Africa, Cyprus, Iraq and the Middle East.  The Foreign Minister reiterated his support for the Secretary-General’s efforts in those areas.

On Friday morning, the Secretary-General met with His Excellency Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, and then with His Excellency Glafkos Clerides, the Greek Cypriot leader.  He later hosted a lunch with both gentlemen.

The Secretary-General asked the leaders to return to Cyprus and work with his Special Adviser, Alvaro de Soto, on the issues that had been highlighted to them that day.  He suggested they all meet again in New York on 3 and 4 October.

In a statement issued after the lunch, the Secretary-General voiced the hope that the leaders would tackle with urgency the matters that were discussed before their next meeting, and said Mr. de Soto would work with them to achieve the requisite progress. 

Referring to recent press speculation, he said, “My discussions today confirm my belief that, though serious differences remain, the elements of a comprehensive settlement that would meet the basic needs of both sides do, in fact, exist.”

He said he believes the gaps dividing the parties can be bridged, and, on some issues, those gaps are “quite a bit smaller” than they were at the beginning of the talks.  “There is an opportunity at hand, waiting to be seized, the Secretary-General affirmed.”  (See Press Release SG/SM/8369.)

Later in the day, the Secretary-General met with French President Jacques Chirac for about an hour. 

The President briefed the Secretary-General on a phone conversation he had earlier in the day with United States President George Bush on Iraq. 

President Chirac and the Secretary-General discussed the situation in Iraq in some detail.

They also talked about the humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people, which was described in a recent report by the Secretary-General’s Personal Humanitarian Envoy, Catherine Bertini.

Among other subjects, they discussed the situation between Cameroon and Nigeria, and also talked about Chad, the Central African Republic and Colombia.

In a brief exchange with the press afterwards, the Secretary-General said that President Bush would speak at the United Nations on 12 September, and added, “I think we can all look forward to hearing what he is going to say.”  He said he had indicated that it would be unwise to attack Iraq now, and it would raise international tensions, and added that President Bush and his team would bear that in mind.

“I was encouraged yesterday when he said that he will consult the international community”, he said.  “I hope that he will also include the Security Council, which is at the centre of that community.”

The Secretary-General was asked if the United Nations should set a deadline for the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq.  He said, “I think this is something the Security Council will have to decide.”

He said that, in his recent meetings with Iraqi leaders, he had encouraged them to accept the return of inspectors.  He added, “Many heads of State, including many in the Middle East, are encouraging them to do that.”

The Secretary-General left Paris later that day for New York.