Secretary-General: Press Release

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NIGEL FISHER AS DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE

FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS IN AFGHANISTAN

While on his first official visit to Kabul on 25 January 2002, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced the appointment of Nigel Fisher as his Deputy Special Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan.

The Secretary-General arrived in Tehran from Afghanistan in the evening of Friday, 25 January 2002.

The Secretary-General arrived in Kabul this morning to offer moral support to the new Interim Administration and to thank members of the United Nations staff in Afghanistan for their sustained effort to provide humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.

The Secretary-General left Tokyo for Islamabad, Pakistan, on the morning of Wednesday, 23 January, stopping in Bangkok, Thailand, to pick up a private plane that Qatar made available to him for the next legs of his trip.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Tokyo in the afternoon of Sunday, 20 January, where he met with United States Secretary of State Colin Powell for a half-hour review of world issues, starting with Afghanistan.

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS MICHAEL STEINER

AS HIS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR KOSOVO

The Secretary-General has appointed Michael Steiner of Germany to be his Special Representative for Kosovo.

SECRETARY-GENERAL, IN ADDRESS TO GENEVA CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT,

SEES BOTH ‘STAGNATION’ AND POSSIBILITIES IN DISARMAMENT ARENA

Following is the text of the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the Conference on Disarmament at Geneva on 22 January, delivered on the Secretary-General’s behalf by Vladimir Petrovsky, Director-General of the United Nations Office in Geneva:

AFGHANISTAN NEEDS $1.3 BILLION TO COVER IMMEDIATE NEEDS, $10 BILLION

OVER NEXT FIVE YEARS, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS TOKYO CONFERENCE

Following is the address by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan, held in Tokyo, 21 January 2002:

SECRETARY-GENERAL CONGRATULATES COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT, REVOLUTIONARY ARMED FORCES

COMMANDER, ON SIGNING OF ACCORD ON 20 JANUARY

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

SECRETARY-GENERAL DEPLORES ISRAELI DESTRUCTION OF PALESTINIAN RADIO/TV STATION;

REITERATES THAT SOLUTION TO CONFLICT CANNOT BE REACHED THROUGH FORCE

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