SRI LANKA: UN SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN SPEAKS ABOUT THE DEVASTATION CAUSED BY ASIAN TSUNAMI AND PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT ELECTION
Record ID:
222916
SRI LANKA: UN SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN SPEAKS ABOUT THE DEVASTATION CAUSED BY ASIAN TSUNAMI AND PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT ELECTION
- Title: SRI LANKA: UN SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN SPEAKS ABOUT THE DEVASTATION CAUSED BY ASIAN TSUNAMI AND PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT ELECTION
- Date: 9th January 2004
- Summary: (W3) COLOMBO, SR LANKA (JANUARY 9, 2005) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS OF SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS KOFI ANNAN WALKING INTO ROOM WITH PRESIDENT CHANDRIKA KUMARATUNGA AND SHAKING HANDS 0.13 2. SCU PRESIDENT KUMARATUNGA 0.19 3. VARIOUS OF PRESIDENT AND ANNAN 0.25 4. WIDE OF ANNAN AND KUMARATUNGA ENTERING ROOM FOR TALKS 0.48 5. SMV ANNAN AND UNITED NATIONS DELEGATION 1.00 6. VARIOUS OF MEETING 1.26 7. TOPSHOT OF ANNAN AT PRESS CONFERENCE 1.30 8. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) KOFI ANNAN SAYING: "In the past few days I have witnessed first hand the terrible human toll of what befell this country not to mention the destruction of property and livelihoods, as it is plain to see the tragedy has affected all Sri Lankans, it is a disaster which transcends the divisions which have troubled your country for so long." 2.03 9. SCU ANNAN CONTINUING "In Hambantota I met displaced families being sheltered in a mosque, in Trincomalee I met Tamil and Muslim children playing together in a school which was a makeshift camp for those who fled, and I have met aid workers in the south working to get supplies delivered to survivors in the north and east so the ordinary people of Sri Lanka have come together on an extraordinary scale to meet the needs created by the emergency." 2.53 10. TOPSHOT OF NEWS CONFERENCE 2.56 11. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) KOFI ANNAN SAYING: "I have been very impressed by the way the Palestinians have managed the transition process after the death of President Arafat, today they have a chance to elect a new leader, this election has been very well prepared, perhaps one the best we have been involved with and I expect it to go very well, once a new leader has been elected he will need not only the support of his people but also the international community which has to underpin the financial basis of the state, help them with their reforms and really ensure the economic viability of the state and I think it opens up new prospects for peace, and also positive developments from the Israeli side with a withdrawal from Gaza, and Abu Mazen and the Israeli Prime Minister know each other and they will be able to re-energise the peace process." 4.17 12. TOPSHOT OF NEWS CONFERENCE 4.22 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 24th January 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA
- Country: Sri Lanka
- Reuters ID: LVA7B74Q2V57VS7BPAP9I4IB3J1J
- Story Text: Annan holds news conference after witnessing
devastation in Sri Lanka.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said that he was
shocked at the extent of destruction in Sri Lanka, after
touring the worst hit areas of the island.
On the last day of his visit to the country, Annan met
with Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga. The two
later held a joint news conference before Annan departed to
the Maldives Island, which was also hit by the disaster.
Giving some much-needed good news, the United Nations
said that by this weekend, relief workers would get at
least some food and other emergency supplies to "every
person in need" in Sri Lanka, a figure officials put at
750,000.
World Health Organization Director-General Lee
Jong-wook said there were no signs of the feared epidemics
among the 800,000 homeless in Sri Lanka.
Giant waves crashed into Sri Lanka's southern, eastern
and northern coastline on Dec. 26, killing over 30,000
people and ravaging infrastructure and coastal towns and
resorts.
But Annan was prevented from visiting the island's
hard-hit north and east where he had been invited by Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels, whose
bloody two-decade war for autonomy is on hold thanks to a
three-year ceasefire.
Annan also said the presidential elections being held
on Sunday in the Palestinian territories, the first since
the death of President Arafat last year, offered new
opportunities for peace.
"I have been very impressed by the way the Palestinians
have managed the transition process after the death of
President Arafat, today they have a chance to elect a new
leader, this election has been very well prepared, perhaps
one the best we have been involved with and I expect it to
go very well, once a new leader has been elected he will
need not only the support of his people but also the
international community which has to underpin the financial
basis of the state, help them with their reforms and really
ensure the economic viability of the state and I think it
opens up new prospects for peace, and also positive
developments from the Israeli side with a withdrawal from
Gaza, and Abu Mazen and the Israeli Prime Minister know
each other and they will be able to re-energise the peace
process," Annan said.
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