Secretary-General: Press Release

TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN AT UNITED

NATIONS HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK, ON 18 DECEMBER 2003

Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am glad to see you all before the holidays.  It has been a rather hard year.

I have no doubt that you will have lots of questions about Iraq.  But before you get on to that, there are a few things I would want to say.

SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR RENEWED DIALOGUE, RELEASE

OF KIDNAPPED CIVILIANS IN COLOMBIA

Following is a statement by Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the situation in Colombia:

SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES ISRAELIS, PALESTINIANS TO TAKE

STEPS TO AVOID IMPAIRING FUTURE NEGOTIATIONS

Creative ‘Track Two’ Initiatives Can Promote

Momentum for Peace, He Tells Meeting on Palestine Question

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES LAUNCH OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION COMMISSION

Following is the text of the message by Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the launch of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission in Stockholm today:

CREDIBLE, INCLUSIVE TRANSITION OFFERS BEST HOPE FOR STABILITY

IN IRAQ, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL

Following is the text of remarks by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the Security Council meeting on Iraq today:

Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Berlin on Thursday, 11 December.

SECRETARY-GENERAL SADDENED BY DEATH OF EMINENT JURIST, SCHOLAR OSCAR SCHACHTER,

‘PIONEER’ IN DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS HIS PLAN FOR CYPRUS REMAINS ON TABLE

Following is a statement issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General has seen the reports of the Turkish Cypriot voting.  It appears that it may take some time for a new political dispensation to be established.

SECRETARY-GENERAL, IN INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS DAY MESSAGE,

UNDERLINES NEED TO MAXIMIZE BENEFITS OF MIGRATION

Following is the text of Secretary-GeneralKofi Annan’s message on International Migrants Day, 18 December 2003:

SECRETARY-GENERAL AFFIRMS UN SUPPORT FOR AFRICA ENVIRONMENT ACTION PLAN

IN MESSAGE TO ALGIERS CONFERENCE

Following is Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message to the partners’ conference on the implementation of the Action Plan for the Environment Initiative of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), delivered by Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, in Algiers, 15 to 16 December: