UN cooperation tops agenda of Annan's visit to China, Ireland and UK

United Nations cooperation with China and the European Union, as well as peace-building efforts, will be among the topics Secretary-General Kofi Annan is scheduled to address during official visits to China, Ireland and the United Kingdom next week, his spokesman announced today.

The Secretary-General will leave this weekend for Beijing, where he is slated to meet with President Hu Jintao and senior government officials, visit an eco-village and HIV/AIDS testing centre, and tour the Chinese peacekeeping training centre at Langfang. China currently provides close to 1,000 military and police personnel to 12 UN peacekeeping operations.

A speech and a question and answer session with students of Tsinghua University is also included on his programme in China, as is the opening celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the UN-China partnership.

In Ireland, which he visited once before as Secretary-General in 1999, Mr. Annan is expected to meet with President Mary McAleese, the Taoiseach (or Head of Government) Bertie Ahern, Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern and Defence Minister Willie O'Dea.

The Secretary-General is also scheduled to address the National Forum on Europe on UN cooperation with the European Union, and will meet with Irish military personnel who have served on UN peacekeeping missions.

In the United Kingdom Mr. Annan is supposed to deliver the Tip O'Neill Lecture at the University of Ulster on peace-building before travelling to London, where he will meet with Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Tony Blair, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown and the Secretary of State for International Development Hilary Benn.

Mr. Annan is also expected to attend an all-party parliamentary committee meeting and then speak with members of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) before returning to New York the week of 18 October.