Statements and Messages

Following is the text of the toast by the President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, on behalf of those present, at the luncheon for heads of State and government, at Headquarters on 23 October:

It is a privilege for me to stand next to one of the greatest Africans that has ever lived -- after Hannibal. Hannibal was the African from North Africa who thought he should civilize the Europeans. Now, the next greatest African after him is the Secretary-General here, who has become Secretary-General of the whole world, which is a very big honour for us.

Following is the text of the toast delivered by United States President William J. Clinton, on behalf of all attending, at the luncheon for heads of State and government held at Headquarters on 22 October:

Following is the text of the toast delivered by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at the luncheon for heads of State and government held at Headquarters on 22 October:

I am grateful to heads of State and government for coming here to mark the first fifty years of the United Nations. The United Nations deserves the honour you show it by your presence. This is because the United Nations is the Organization that works for tomorrow.

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali met with the following heads of State or Government on Saturday, 21 October;

9:30 a.m. President of Uganda, Youeri Kaguta Museveni;

10:45 a.m. President of Sierra Leona, Valentine E.M. Strasser

11 a.m. President of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga

11:30 a.m. President of Gabon, El Hadj Omar Bongo

11:45 a.m. President of Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayoon

12:05 p.m. President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliev

3:05 p.m. President of Moldova, Mircea Snegur

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali met with the following heads of State or Government on Friday, 20 October:

11 a.m. Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin; 12:30 p.m. Prime Minister of Sweden, Ingvar Carlsson; 3:45 p.m. President of Zaire, Mobuto Sese Seko; 5:30 p.m. President of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari; and 6 p.m. President of Botswana, Sir Ketumile Masire.

These are the remarks of Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at a diner given by Mayor Rudolph Guiliani of New York City for heads of State and government at the World Trade Centre on 21 October:

I am here to pay tribute to New York City, the home of the United Nations.

And I salute New York City's welcome to the heads of State and government who have come form all over the world for this fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations.

These are the remarks of Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali today on receiving a gift to the United Nations from the People's Republic of China:

On behalf of the United Nations, I express my deep gratitude to the Government of the People's Republic of China for this generous gift. We express our great admiration for the men and women whose artistic skills, imagination and energy brought it into being.

These are the remarks of Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali today when accepting a gift to the United Nations from the Republic of Estonia:

On behalf of the United Nations, I wish to thank the Government and people of the Republic of Estonia for this wonderful example of Estonian decorative folk art.

This work is entitled "Mother Tree". It is the work of the distinguished artist Anu Raud, a poetess of Estonian folk weaving. It beautifully, eloquently, and powerfully expresses the national identify of the Estonian people.

Following is the text of Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's statement on the occasion of the hoisting of the flag of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia at Headquarters on Saturday, 21 October:

Few images command so great a sense of collective strength and solidarity than the flags that line the United Nations. Today we are proud to have that of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to be one among them. It makes eloquent an association that began on 8 April 1993, when this new yet ancient country joined the United Nations.

Following is the text of a message sent today by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to Willy Claes, Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization:

"Dear Mr. Secretary General

"I have learned with great regret of your resignation from the position of Secretary General of NATO.