- Title: RUSSIA: U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN ARRIVES ON UNOFFICIAL VISIT.
- Date: 16th May 2001
- Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (MAY 15,2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV/MV/PAN: U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN GREETING OFFICIALS AT AIRPORT/ KOFI ANNAN WALKING AWAY (3 SHOTS) 0.40 2. GV/LV: VIEW OF SHCHEREMETIEVO AIRPORT (2 SHOTS) 0.54 3. GV/MV: KOFI ANNAN MEETING RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN IN THE KREMLIN/ PUTIN AND ANNAN AT TALKS (5 SHOTS) 1.46 4. GV/PAN: KOFI ANNAN AND RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER IGOR IVANOV ENTERING HALL AND STOPPING BEFORE JOURNALISTS 2.00 5. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, IGOR IVANOV, SAYING: "Russia considers that international activity should be based on respect of the U.N Charter, international law to resolve the conflicts that the international community is facing now" 2.19 6. MCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N SECRETARY GENERAL, KOFI ANNAN, SAYING: "I have had a chance to state my positions very clearly and we have indicated that we need to build on international treaties, disarmament treaties which assist and that we need to make sure that the anti-politic missile does not lead to another arms race. And obviously the U.S government has indicated that it's going to get into strategic discussions, and I believe it's going to require long and strategic discussions on this issue"/ MEDIA/ ANNAN: SAYING: "The dialogue has begun and I believe the U.S administration has sent its envoys around the world the explain their positions. I believe they have been in Moscow recently." (3 SHOTS) 3.11 7. GV/PAN: ANNAN AND IVANOV LEAVING 3.20 8. GV: VIEW OF KREMLIN 3.28 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 31st May 2001 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Reuters ID: LVAB44C6WDHML53TW8STVI295R3J
- Story Text: U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has arrived in Moscow
and met with Russian senior officials including President
Vladimir Putin, on the last leg of an unofficial campaign trip
as he bids for a second five-year term.
Kofi Annan first met with Russia's President Vladimir
Putin at the Kremlin in the mid-afternoon on Tuesday (May 15)
before holding talks with Russia's new civilian Defence
Minister Sergei Ivanov. Russia has peacekeeping troops serving
in Bosnia and Yugoslavia's breakaway Kosovo province.
Putin and Annan discussed a range of hot spots from the
Middle East to Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Cyprus and Africa.
Efforts to boost the United Nations' position and efficiency
were also to have been raised.
But Russian officials refused to be drawn on whether
Moscow was preparing to add its voice to the growing chorus of
support for a second term for Kofi Annan as U.N. chief.
Russia is the only permanent member of the U.N. Security
Council that has not yet publicly supported the re-election of
the 63-year-old Ghanaian, whose term expires on December 31.
The "Big Five" permanent members of the U.N. Security
Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United
States -- can veto a candidacy, a power Washington used to
deprive Boutros Boutros-Ghali of a second term in 1996.
Last month China, which usually leaves its position open
until the last minute, backed Annan for a second term, citing
broad African support and his performance in office since
1997.
France and the United States have already endorsed him and
Britain is known to be his strong supporter. Moscow is not
expected to block his reappointment. Annan's marriage to
Swedish artist and lawyer Nane Lagergren gives him an unusual
link to Russia.
His wife is the niece of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish
diplomat who saved tens-of-thousands of Hungarian Jews from
Nazi death camps in World War Two but was later arrested by
Soviet forces. Russia officially acknowledged for the first
time last December that he had been a victim of Josef Stalin's
purges.
Annan announced he would seek a second term in March,
saying he wanted to work for human rights and peace and combat
poverty.
His only challenge is expected to come from Asia, but the
region has not yet produced a candidate and many believe any
challenger would be hard placed to beat the incumbent.
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