ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN SPAIN, 9 - 11 MARCH
Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Madrid on Wednesday, 9 March, to attend the Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security.
Prior to attending the conference on Thursday, the Secretary-General met with the President of the Government of Spain, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, at the MoncloaPalace. They were joined for the meeting, which lasted more than an hour, by Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos and the head of the UN’s Counter-Terrorism Directorate, Javier Rupérez. They discussed a wide variety of issues, including terrorism, Iraq, developments in the Middle East including in Syria and Lebanon, and in Africa, including the Western Sahara issue. They also discussed UN reform and the Summit that would be organized in New York in September 2005, as well as the Spanish initiative of an “Alliance of Civilizations”.
Immediately following the meeting, the President of the Spanish Government and the Secretary-General addressed journalists.
The Secretary-General said he looked forward to participating in the Summit. The meeting, he said, “will allow us to reaffirm the need for international collaboration and for all of us to work together in attempting to deny terrorists the opportunities and pulling our efforts to ensure that they are not given the national support, logistical support or safe haven in any of our countries”.
Speaking of the victims of terrorism, he said: “We live in one world and the issue of terrorism affects us all. When people in Madrid are hit, or people in New York are hit or in Baghdad, it does have an impact on all of us.”
He also praised the “Alliance of Civilizations” initiative, calling it an “exciting” project. “We often talk of clash of civilizations”, he told the reporters, “and for once we are talking of alliance of civilizations focusing on what we have in common and what unites us.”
Asked by a reporter about the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, the Secretary-General said that from the Security Council point of view, “what is essential is that full and complete withdrawal takes place, regardless of whether it is done on the UN resolution, on the Taif agreement, or a decision by the Government of Syria. The essential point is that they do withdraw”.
In the evening, the Secretary-General attended a private dinner hosted by King Juan Carlos of Spain.
On Thursday morning, the Secretary-General went to ZarzuelaPalace to join King Juan Carlos and former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso for a meeting with a group of organizations representing victims of the 11 March 2004 terror attacks.
In mid-afternoon, the Secretary-General addressed the Summit’s closing plenary, telling the audience that terrorism is a direct attack on the core values of the United Nations, and the UN must be at the forefront in fighting it.
He set out the main elements of a principled, comprehensive strategy against terrorism, outlined by his High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change. He highlighted the need to dissuade disaffected groups from terrorism; to deny terrorists the means to carry out attacks; to deter States from supporting terrorists; to develop State capacity to fight terrorism; and to defend human rights during that fight.
The Secretary-General noted that the Panel called for a definition of terrorism, which would make it clear that any action constitutes terrorism if it is intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or organization into action. He said, “I believe this proposal has clear moral force, and I strongly urge world leaders to unite behind it.”
He said that we must respect and listen to the victims of terrorism around the world and do what we can to help them, and to spare others from meeting their fate. (See Press Release SG/SM/9757.)
On the sidelines of the Summit, the Secretary-General held a number of bilateral meetings.
He first had a tête-à-tête with the President of Portugal, Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio.
He then met with the German Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer.
The Secretary-General also held a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Norway Kjell Magne Bondevik.
Prior to leaving, he also held discussions with the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso. They discussed, among other issues, the development agenda for 2005 and UN reform.
In the evening, the Secretary-General attended a dinner given by the King of Spain in honour of the heads of State attending the Summit.
On Friday, 11 March, the last day of his visit to Madrid, the Secretary-General attended a silent memorial service with King Juan Carlos of Spain that honoured the victims of the terrorist attacks that took place in the city on that day in 2004.
Later, at a press conference, the Secretary-General said to the people of Spain, “The world mourns with you”. He said there is much that the world can do to deter terrorism without sacrificing human rights.
In response to a question, he said he was concerned at measures in some countries to undermine civil and human rights. “We need to make sure that there is a balance”, he said.
Also that day, the Secretary-General met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with whom he discussed terrorism, Cyprus and Iraq. They also spoke briefly tête-à-tête.
Before departing Madrid, the Secretary-General met with staff of the Madrid office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).