ACTIVITIES OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL IN BELGRADE, 19-20 NOVEMBER 2002

On Tuesday afternoon, 19 November, the Secretary-General flew to Belgrade, where he met with Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica.  Afterwards, the two men made statements to the press.  In his remarks, the Secretary-General said that the long relationship between the United Nations and Yugoslavia had been constructive most of the time, “but we have also had painful and difficult moments.  I think we are now at the stage where we are perhaps going to be able to put all of that behind us”.

He said that he and the President had discussed Yugoslavia’s relationship with the Tribunal at The Hague, the situation in Kosovo, the rate of return of refugees and the painful issue of missing persons.  Those with missing loved ones want to know the truth, he said.  If they are alive, where are they?  If they are dead, they want to bury the bodies and bring the matter to closure.  He pledged to work with all countries concerned to get to the truth.

He invited Yugoslavia, which had once actively participated in United Nations peacekeeping, to consider once again doing so.

He then met with Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic of Serbia.  After that he saw the President of the Coordination Centre of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia and Montenegro, Nebojsa Covic.  Finally, he had a meeting with the President of the Republic of Montenegro, Milo Djukanovic.

Before leaving the Federation Palace, the Secretary-General agreed to meet with representatives of missing persons, who had been demonstrating outside on his arrival.  In front of the media, the representatives presented him with documents which they said constituted evidence.  After the media had left, the Secretary-General said that while he understood the anger and frustration, “we have to work on this in a calm manner”.  The issue of missing persons was high on the United Nations agenda, he assured them.  He extended his condolences to the families of the missing and pledged to work with them.

In a separate programme, Nane Annan spoke with refugee and displaced families living in a United Nations-supported centre in Rakovica, outside Belgrade.  She also met child protection workers who provide outreach social services for the most vulnerable and isolated children in society.

In the evening, the Secretary-General and his wife were the guests of honour at a dinner hosted by the President and his wife.

The following morning, the Secretary-General visited the Belgrade offices of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, where he conferred privately with Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte and then sat down for an informal chat with the staff.  He emphasized the importance of explaining the work of the Tribunal to the average citizen, pointing out that the United Nations was not targeting a nation or a people, but individual criminals.

He then met with a dozen heads of United Nations agencies, who described their programme activities in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the region. Most were in the process of shifting focus from humanitarian aid to development assistance.  One important theme of their work is supporting the Government in institution-building, from democratization to reforming the health sector.  They spoke of significant achievements in southern Serbia, where democratic elections and government reform have greatly reduced tensions between the Serb and ethnic Albanian populations there.

He then moved to an adjacent room to address about 150 United Nations staff members.  He said he looked forward to the day when they could all work under one roof, and was grateful that discussions with the Government on establishing a United Nations house were advancing.  On United Nations reform, he said that at Headquarters and in the field, meetings should not be a substitute for action. “When you have action”, he said, “coordination is value-added”.

In the evening the Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan were invited to a dinner in their honour hosted by President Stjepan Mesic of Croatia.

They departed Zagreb for Amsterdam the next day.