ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN WASHINGTON, D.C., 3 FEBRUARY
Secretary-General Kofi Annan travelled to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning, 3 February, to meet with President George W. Bush and other senior US officials, as part of the regular exchanges he holds twice a year with officials in Washington.
That morning, the Secretary-General met with Secretary of State Colin Powell for about 45 minutes, and they held wide-ranging discussions, including Afghanistan, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Iraq, Liberia, the Middle East and the Sudan.
He then went to the White House, where he and President Bush had “a good and lengthy meeting on a whole host of issues” as Mr. Annan later described it at a joint press encounter. He added that he and the President had agreed to work together on a variety of issues.
The Secretary-General then attended a lunch hosted by the President, which was also attended by Secretary of State Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice.
He later met for about 45 minutes with Ms. Rice, after which he had a second press encounter. He told the media that he was leaving Washington “satisfied that the US Government and the United Nations are going to be working together on many fronts -- not just on Iraq -- on issues of economic development, the fight against AIDS, good governance and a whole range of issues and other conflicts that we are working on together”.
Following his meetings at the White House, the Secretary-General travelled to the US Capitol where he held a series of meetings with the Congressional leadership.
He was able to have a wide exchange of views with Senate Majority leader Bill Frist. Also attending the meeting were Senators Carl Levin, Richard Lugar, Tom Daschle and Harry Reid.
He also met with members of the House Appropriations Committee, led by Representative Bill Young. They discussed many items relating to peace and security, as well as budgetary matters.
Finally before departing the Hill, the Secretary-General met with House Minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, and other members of the House of Representatives. Afterwards, he told journalists, that he had a very good discussion on the topics of Iraq, Afghanistan and a whole range of subjects in Africa -- from conflict resolution to the fight against HIV/AIDS, economic and social issues.
Prior to leaving the White House, Mr. Annan had a chance encounter with a group of Iraqi Fulbright scholars who were visiting the White House. He congratulated and encouraged them, especially the women in the group, to continue their work and pursue their goals.
He returned to New York that evening.