SECRETARY-GENERAL PRAISES ‘STRONG AND INVALUABLE’ PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN CANADA, UN AT OTTAWA WELCOME CEREMONY

SECRETARY-GENERAL PRAISES ‘STRONG AND INVALUABLE’ PARTNERSHIP

BETWEEN CANADA, UN AT OTTAWA WELCOME CEREMONY

Following are Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s remarks at a welcome ceremony hosted by the Governor-General in Ottawa, 8 March:

I am deeply moved by those kind words, and by this warm welcome.

Nane and I always look forward to visiting Canada, even though we don’t come here often enough.

Madam Governor-General, I had better watch what I say in reply to your gracious welcome, since Louise Fréchette is here with me!  But if I may be so presumptuous -- for me, almost as much as for Louise, coming to Canada is like coming home.

There are many reasons.  I cannot claim to come from a cold climate, but there is nothing I love more than a landscape of mountains and clear lakes.

Canada, as a truly diverse and multilingual society of Aboriginals, Francophones, Anglophones and immigrants from all over the world, forms a kind of United Nations of its own.

You are born multilateralists, naturally adept at the give and take of international cooperation.  The partnership between Canada and the UN is strong and invaluable.

Therefore, I am anxious to discuss with your Prime Minister, Paul Martin, and his Government, many issues like peace and security or our actions to promote development and the environment.

It is also a great honour for me to be invited to speak before the two houses of Parliament.  I see in this invitation another sign of the close ties that exist between the Canadian people and the United Nations, and I expect good results from this visit.

Thank you very much.

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*     Reissued to include portions translated from French.