Statements and Messages

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:

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali:

The Secretary-General at 4.30 p.m. today received the Prime Minister of Fiji, Sitiveni L. Rabuka. The Secretary-General thanked him for his presence in New York to attend the special commemorative meeting of the General Assembly marking the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations. He also expressed his appreciation for Fiji's contribution to peace-keeping operations.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali:

At approximately 1 p.m. Sunday, 22 October, the Secretary-General met with President William J. Clinton of the United States. They had a broad exchange of views on world issues, including the situations in Haiti, Angola, Guatemala, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Liberia, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and the former Yugoslavia, expressing the hope that a peaceful settlement would soon be found in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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.

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 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 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 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.

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.

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