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59.

Knowledge is the Power of Geneva

STATEMENT OF THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL
AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE RENOVATED
PRESS ROOM NO. 1

Press Rom No. 1, Door 6, 1 December 1998

Your Excellencies,
Madame President of the Correspondents’ Association,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,

I t is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Palais today to the
opening of this newly renovated Press Room. I would like to first
and foremost express my gratitude to the Republic and Canton of
Geneva without the generosity of whom this endeavor would not have been
possible, which is why I am most pleased to announce that the room will
concurrently be referred to as ‘Press Room Number 1" and the “Geneva
Room”. I would also like to thank my colleagues within the UN Office at
Geneva for their sustained efforts to bring about a successful outcome this
refurbishing operation. Finally, I wish to express a word of thanks to the French
delegation to the Conference on Disarmament, and in particular Ambassador
Bourgois for sponsoring the lovely reception that we will all enjoy shortly.

We, at the United Nations Office at Geneva, are extremely proud to have
such an important press-corps in residence covering UN affairs, second only in
number to the one at UN Headquarters in New York. To the Correspondents,
I wish to say that we continue to be impressed and expect only the highest
standards of professionalism and diligence in your work which are indeed
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