Press Release
SG/T/2095
On his first day in Germany, 16 April, the Secretary-General met and had a working luncheon with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Klaus Kinkel. The issues discussed included United Nations reform; Security Council reform; United Nations finances; the situations in Zaire, Albania and the Middle East; the status of Bonn; and expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Their meetings were followed by a joint press conference by Minister Kinkel and the Secretary-General.
Later, the Secretary-General had a meeting with the President of the Bundestag, Rita Süssmuth, and with the leader of one of the opposition parties, Joschka Fischer of the Green Party. He also met with members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag. In the evening he attended a dinner hosted by Mr. Kinkel.
On Thursday, 17 April, the Secretary-General met in the morning with the German Minister of Defense, Volker Ruhe. They discussed peace-keeping issues. He then met with the Chairman of the Parliamentary Faction of the Social Democratic Party of the Bundestag, Rudolf Scharping, with whom he discussed United Nations reform, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Zaire. He then met with Carl-Dietrich Spranger, the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation, with whom he mainly discussed the role of the private sector in development.
The Secretary-General then met with the Minister of Finance, Theo Waigel, discussing the financial crisis of the United Nations, the question of United Nations reform and the role of the private sector. He also met with the Federal Minister for Environmental Affairs, Angela Merkel, with whom he discussed the possibility of the creation of a mechanism to better coordinate the various groups that resulted from the Earth Summit.
The Secretary-General then met with Roman Herzog, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, and with the Mayor of the City of Berlin, Eberhard Diepgen.
- 2 - Press Release SG/T/2095 24 April 1997
On Friday, 18 April, the Secretary-General began his day by meeting with local United Nations organizations. (For his remarks, see Press Release SG/SM/6211, of 18 April). Later he met with the Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Helmut Kohl. They mainly spoke of environmental issues and the upcoming session of the General Assembly in June, United Nations reform and the proposed reform of the Security Council.
Later, the Secretary-General took part in the signing of the Golden Book of the City of Bonn. (For his remarks, see Press Release SG/SM/6212, of 18 April). He also met with Ambassadors of African States and discussed with them the situations in Zaire and Angola, as well as Security Council reform. His last meeting of the day was with the Transitional Administrator for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium, Jacques Klein, with whom he discussed elections in Eastern Slavonia.
* *** *