Annan heads to Geneva for talks with senior UN officials
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan left London today for Geneva, where he will meet with senior UN officials as
well as address the high-level segment of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) next week.
The Secretary-General is scheduled have a working luncheon tomorrow with the heads of UN agencies. On Monday, he will
speak to the annual session of ECOSOC, which this year will focus on promoting an integrated approach to eradicating
poverty and encouraging sustainable development in rural areas.
Yesterday afternoon, following his meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Secretary-General met with the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, with whom he discussed the upcoming review in October toward meeting the
Millennium Development Goals.
According to a UN spokesperson, they also touched on the private sector's role in development, the economic situation in
Iraq, development prospects in the Middle East, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the Doha round of
trade talks and the UN budget.
The Secretary-General then met with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw for talks on the Middle East, including Iran, as well
as Zimbabwe, the UN's war crimes tribunal for Rwanda, the war in Liberia and UN reform.
At a press encounter afterward, the Secretary-General was asked about whether UN troops were needed in Iraq. He noted
that the Security Council, in resolution 1483, gave the responsibility for creating a secure environment to the
occupying powers. "And quite frankly," he added, "I doubt that we will have the capacity to take on that responsibility
at this stage." He said that security in Iraq should be left to a multinational force or to the coalition.