Secretary-General: Press Release

Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Switzerland on Saturday, 27 March.

SECRETARY-GENERAL PRESENTS FINAL SETTLEMENT PLAN FOR CYPRUS,

SAYS ‘OFFERS THE BEST AND FAIREST’ CHANCE FOR PEACE

Following are Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s remarks at the closing of Cyprus talks in Bürgenstock, 31 March:

Thank you all for joining me here this evening.  The hour is late, but the cause is urgent.

The time for negotiation and consultation is over.

SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS DEVASTATING CONFLICT IN DARFUR, SUDAN, MUST STOP;

CALLS FOR EFFECTIVE HUMANITARIAN CEASEFIRE

Following is the statement of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, distributed at the ceasefire talks on Darfur, Sudan, in N'Djamena, Chad, on 31 March:

SECRETARY-GENERAL BELIEVES NATIONAL CONVENTION TO DRAFT NEW CONSTITUTION

FOR MYANMAR MUST BE ALL-INCLUSIVE

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

The Secretary-General notes with interest the announcement by the Government of Myanmar that it will convene a National Convention to draft a new constitution on 17 May 2004.

AFGHANISTAN WILL NEED CONTINUED INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE UNTIL TRANSITION

IS COMPLETE, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS BERLIN CONFERENCE

Following is the message by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the International Conference on Afghanistan in Berlin, delivered today by Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General:

SECRETARY-GENERAL PRAISES COMMITMENT, COURAGE OF MURDERED KOSOVO POLICE OFFICERS,

SAYS STARK SIGNAL OF DISTANCE STILL TO BE TRAVELLED IN BUILDING PEACE

Following is Secretary-General’s Kofi Annan message to the ceremony commemorating police officers killed in Kosovo, delivered by Harri Holkeri, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Kosovo, in Pristina, 30 March:

SECRETARY-GENERAL SADDENED AT KILLING OF MEMBER OF UN MISSION

IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

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

SECRETARY-GENERAL SADDENED BY DEATH OF ALISTAIR COOKE

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

SECRETARY-GENERAL STRONGLY CONDEMNS TERRORIST BOMBINGS

IN TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN

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

AT EUROPEAN FORUM, SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS ‘CORPORATIONS CAN BE AGENTS

OF CHANGE’ BY OFFERING SUPPORT TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Following is Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message, translated from French, to the Third European Forum on Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility, delivered in Paris on 29 March, by Zéphirin Diabré, Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):