19 September 2000

Statements were made in the General Assembly's on-going General Debate by the Foreign Ministers from Sierra Leone, Philippines, Botswana, Bangladesh, India, Guyana, Sudan, Congo, Commonwealth of Dominica, Republic of Moldova, Republic of Korea, Panama, Indonesia, Mali and Nigeria. The Secretary for Foreign Affairs from Thailand also spoke as well as the representatives of Turkmenistan, Qatar, and Palestine.

Today Mr. Holkeri met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Mr. Eduard Kukan. They discussed the situation in the Balkans, in particular the up-coming elections in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and in Kosovo, and the situation in Montenegro. They agreed that any lasting solution for the region must be based on Security Council resolution 12/44. The President also mentioned the important roles non-governmental organisations (NGO's) are playing in rebuilding civil society in the region. Other issues touched upon included the Brahimi Report and the scale of assessments.

The President met jointly with the Chairpersons of Fourth and Fifth Committees and the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations as well as the Deputy Secretary-General to discuss the General Assembly's consideration of the Brahimi Report. Mr. Brahimi also took part in the meeting. It was noted that the Millennium Summit gave the General Assembly a clear mandate to consider the recommendations of this Report expeditiously. The President stressed the need for a transparent process and noted that existing structures should be used. Mr. Holkeri wishes that the consideration of the Report be done in a coherent and smooth manner.

At a special Millennium Peace Day event, the President received on behalf of the international community a peace petition of more than 60 million children's signatures. In accepting the petition, he remarked on the importance of children in peace building. The full text of his remarks is available on the "Statements and Messages" page. He also was presented with an enormous peace poem, a compilation of poems from many different countries.

Later Mr. Holkeri attended a special screening of a television documentary "Soldiers of Peace " about the peace movement spearheaded by children in Colombia. The President remarked on the importance of the childrens' role in the peace movement in Colombia and encouraged them to continue their efforts. The full text of the remarks is available on the "Statements and Messages" page. The screening was organised by the Permanent Mission of Colombia, the United Nations Childrens Fund, and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict.

The President also had a luncheon meeting with the Chairman of the Fifth Committee, H.E. Ambassador Gert Rosenthal of Guatemala. The Ambassador highlighted some of the key issues coming up in the Committee, and noted that because of the heavy workload it will be difficult to conclude the Committee's work by the end of November, as called for by the General Assembly. The President noted that the Fifth Committee has usually been the last to finish and that this year might not prove an exception in that regard. He went on to call for maximum efficiency and focus in the Committee's work and cautioned against evening and weekend meetings, which put a particularly great strain on smaller Delegations. The President recalled that he had represented Finland in the Fifth Committee of the UN General Assembly in 1963 and 1965.

Mr. Holkeri was the guest of honour at a reception hosted by the Foreign Ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In his remarks the President said that the ASEAN countries have succeeded in becoming a strong regional player with a commitment to multilateral action. The President also noted that ASEAN has become an important dialogue partner with the United Nations and expressed a wish to strengthen that partnership. The full text of the remarks is available on the "Statements and Messages" page.