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96.

STATEMENT
BY MR. VLADIMIR PETROVSKY
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT GENEVA
FOR THE OCCASION OF THE “FÊTE NATIONALE SUISSE”

Restaurant La Perle du Lac, Rue de Lausanne 128, Geneva,
Wednesday, 1 August 2001

Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends and Colleagues,

F irst of all, I would like to congratulate our Swiss friends on their

National Day and sincerely wish them continued peace and
prosperity for the future. As the head of the United Nations Office
at Geneva I am grateful to our hosts for their generosity and hospitality as well
as for their unequivocal support of the goals and aims of the United Nations
and activities of the UN family in Geneva.

The long road travelled together has reached another turning point as we
face a new era. As stated by the Secretary-General, Mr.Kofi Annan, at the eve of
the new Millennium “...there is much to be grateful for. There are also many things
to deplore, and to correct.” The SG at the same time emphasized that “The
world's people look to their leaders to identify and act on the major challenges
ahead.”

Now, for the first time in history the world leaders have agreed on the
question of what is to be done. One of the major aims is the security in all

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