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Annan concludes Chilean leg of South American tour

Annan concludes Chilean leg of South American tour

Kofi Annan
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today completed the Chilean leg of his South American tour, taking part in a roundtable discussion on the future of the UN.

Mr. Annan was joined by Chile's President Ricardo Lagos and Finland's President Tarja Halonen at the roundtable in Santiago de Chile, held at the headquarters of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

Mr. Annan told the roundtable that the world must act collectively to fight common threats, and said the UN had to reform its architecture to maximize the effectiveness of collective action.

Last night at an official dinner hosted by President Lagos, Mr. Annan said Latin America's potential and challenges were a microcosm of the same potential and challenges facing the globe.

The Secretary-General now travels to Guayaquil, the biggest city and the main port in Ecuador. He will then visit Peru and Bolivia before his South American tour ends.