UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, to visit Ireland
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, David Andrews T.D., has announced that the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, and Mrs. Nane Annan will make an official visit to Ireland on 21 to 22 January 1999.
In the course of the visit, the Secretary-General will call on President McAleese.
He will have discussions with the Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Defence, Mr. Michael Smith, TD. While in Dublin, the Secretary-General will be conferred with an honorary degree by the National University of Ireland.
It is also planned that the Secretary-General will visit the Defence Forces' UN Peacekeeping Training School in the Curragh.
Secretary-General Annan took up office on 1 January 1997. He was previously the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. Born in Ghana in 1938, Secretary-General Annan is the first Secretary-General to emerge from the ranks of the international civil service. He has served in posts in Addis Ababa, Geneva and at the UN in New York.
