ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN HAITI, 3 - 4 AUGUST

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, on Thursday, 3 August, a day later than scheduled, due to aircraft technical difficulties.  It was his first official visit to Haiti in the office of Secretary-General.

Accompanied by his wife, Nane Annan, he was greeted on arrival by President René Préval and other senior officials.

In Haiti, he met with the staff of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), and with MINUSTAH’s contingent commanders.  He also visited wounded United Nations peacekeepers, and addressed the Haitian National Police and MINUSTAH’s police component in a ceremony at the Haitian Police Academy.  (See Press Release SG/SM/10585.)

In the afternoon, he held a meeting with President Préval and other senior Haitian officials at the Palais National, before holding a joint press conference with the President.  He told the media that he had asked the Security Council to extend the mandate of MINUSTAH by 12 months, instead of the usual six, as a signal of his belief that many difficulties lie ahead for the country.

The Secretary-General identified security as a crucial issue for Haiti, and he called for the judiciary and penal system to be strengthened and the police to be professionalized.

In a separate programme, Nane Annan, accompanied by the wife of the Prime Minister, Frédérica Alexis, visited a United Nations-supported project focusing on HIV/AIDS and violence against women.  She first toured a telephone hotline centre for rape victims and HIV/AIDS information, and then visited a clinic providing emergency medical services for rape victims, HIV testing and treatment and psychosocial counselling.

Early Friday, 4 August, the Secretary-General departed Port-au-Prince for an official visit to the Dominican Republic.