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Kofi Annan |
José Manuel Barroso |
No. 52/05
May 13, 2005
EU COMMISSION
PRESIDENT BARROSO MEETS UN SG KOFI ANNAN
The Secretary-General of the United
Nations and the
President of the European Commission (José Manuel
Barroso) met in New York today to review UN-EU
cooperation and discuss the process leading up to the
Summit of world leaders to be held at the UN in September
2005. They also discussed the situation in
Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo and Iraq.
They emphasized their shared commitment to
Africa as a clear priority in the work for development,
peace and security, welcoming the increasing role of the
African Union in this area.
The Secretary-General and the Commission President expressed
satisfaction with the remarkable progress achieved by
the UN and the EU in further developing their partnership
in recent years, particularly in the areas of conflict
prevention, crisis management and humanitarian aid. Citing
the conclusion of a number of "strategic partnership
agreements" between the UN and the European Commission,
including on financial co-operation, they agreed to strengthen
further existing co-operation in economic and social affairs.
The Secretary-General and the Commission President stressed
their shared goal of strengthening multilateral institutions.
The Secretary-General welcomed EU support for UN reform
and for the ongoing consultations on reform led by the
President of the General Assembly. He also welcomed ongoing
discussions about ways for the UN and the EU to work together
with regional and sub-regional organizations, in line
with the proposals in his “In Larger Freedom” report.
The Commission President stressed that the Commission
was determined to contribute to a successful outcome of
the UN Summit. He underlined the need to step up collective
efforts to reach the
Millennium Development Goals, adding that the EU had
been at the forefront of such efforts by making ambitious
proposals to increase the quantity and quality of development
finance, strengthening policy coherence for development
and focusing attention on Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Commission President underscored the critical importance
of human rights to development and security, concurring
with the need to strengthen the UN’s human rights machinery
at the Secretariat and intergovernmental levels. He also
welcomed proposals for enhancing UN peace building capacities.
In the context of the ongoing Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, the Commission President
stressed that the nuclear agenda -- in particular the
role of the International Atomic Energy Agency -- needed
to be taken into full consideration within the framework
of the UN reform process.
The Secretary-General and the Commission President emphasized
that 2005 was a decisive year for the United Nations and
the world, on a wide range of issues, and called for action-oriented
decisions to be taken at the September Summit. The Secretary-General
commended the European Union for its firm leadership on
several key issues and thanked the EU for its support
and commitment to achieving a successful outcome at the
Summit. They underlined the importance of a series of
high-level meetings leading up to the Summit, including
forthcoming General Assembly sessions on
HIV/AIDS and financing for development.
President Barroso also attended the Council on Foreign
Relations in New York today and gave the following Speech
"The
EU & the US: A Bilateral Partnership for Global Solutions."
Further Contact Information
Press and Media Relations
Delegation of the European Commission
2300 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
http://www.eurunion.org/PressRoom
Tel: 202-862-9552
Fax: 202-429-1766
