The Secretary-General arrived in Paris from the Netherlands on the evening of 24 November, meeting next day with French President Jacques Chirac and Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin.

In the morning of 20 November, the Secretary-General flew to Zagreb, where he was greeted on arrival by Croatian President Stjepan Mesic.

                                                  SG/SM/8537

EVENTS IN AFGHANISTAN PROMPT OPTIMISM, BUT ‘STEADY DETERMINATION’ REQUIRED

TO SEE TASK THROUGH, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL TO TALKS IN GERMANY

Following is the statement of Secretary-General Kofi Annan delivered by the Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, to the 2002 Bonn talks on Afghanistan in Petersberg, Germany, on 2 December:

  On the morning of 21 November, the Secretary-General and his wife Nane flew from Zagreb to Amsterdam, and they had a private lunch with Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands at The Hague.

Round-up

COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS CONCLUDES TWENTY-NINTH SESSION

Issues Conclusions on Reports from Poland,

Slovak Republic, Georgia, Solomon Islands and Estonia

(Reissued as received.)

SECRETARY-GENERAL, IN MESSAGE FOR INTERNATIONAL DAY, STRESSES NEED

TO FIGHT `EXCLUSION’ OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

This is the text of a message from Secretary-General Kofi Annan to mark the International Day of Disabled Persons, 3 December:

                                                                  SG/SM/8533

DAY OF PALESTINIAN SOLIDARITY `A DAY OF MOURNING

AND A DAY OF GRIEF’, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL

Following is Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s statement on International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, delivered on his behalf by S. Iqbal Riza, Under-Secretary-General and Chef de Cabinet, New York, 29 November:

Committee on the Inalienable Rights

of the Palestinian People

268^th Meeting (AM)

SOLIDARITY DAY WITH PALESTINIANS ‘A DAY OF MOURNING AND A DAY OF GRIEF’

SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL, AS HEADQUARTERS OBSERVES INTERNATIONAL DAY

Speakers Call for International Action to Halt Israeli Aggression;

Stress Independent Palestinian State Only Guarantee of Israeli Security