Brussels, 22/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - The opening of the 63rd General Assembly of the UN on Monday 22 September signalled the beginning of a particularly busy diplomatic week for the EU, whose most senior representatives were also travelling to New York. This annual meeting of heads of state from the entire world traditionally hosts numerous consultations and bilateral meetings in the corridors of the UN. On Monday, the acting president of the European Council, Nicolas Sarkozy, met Timothy Geithner, the president of New York's Federal Reserve, to discuss the financial crisis. The French president also met U2 singer, Bono (about aid for Africa), the Colombian president, Alvaro Uribe, and the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon. On Tuesday, Mr Sarkozy, is due to meet with his Pakistani counterpart, Asif Ali Zardari.
Javier Solana, the EU high representative for the CFSP, is also in New York from 22-27 September with a very full agenda. On Monday 22 September, he attended the ad hoc liaison committee (for support to the Palestinian Authority) and held bilateral meetings with the Colombian president, Alvaro Uribe and the Indonesian foreign minister, Noer Hassan Wirajuda. On Tuesday 23 September, Mr Solana will meet the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, ministers for foreign affairs from Pakistan, Makhdoom S.M. Quereshi and from Syria, Walid-al-Moallem, as well as the president of Tanzania, Japaya Kikwete. He will also participate in a ministerial meeting between the EU and Russia, as well as a meeting between the EU Troika and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). On Wednesday 24 September, the high representative will meet the president of the African Union (AU), Jean Ping, and the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila. Mr Solana will also attend an EU-US ministerial meeting and the presentation of the mid-term review of EUFOR Chad. On Thursday 25 September, Mr Solana will meet the president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, the Serbian president, Boris Tadzic, the vice prime minister of Vietnam, Pham Gia Khiem and the foreign affairs minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Maharram. On Friday, he will take part in EU Troika meetings with the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the “Rio Group” and Non-Aligned Movement countries. He will also be taking part in a Quartet meeting on the Middle East and attend an EU organised seminar on EU-UN cooperation. On Saturday 27 September, the high representative will be part of the EU Troika meeting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. He will also be meeting the “Friends of Myanmar” group.
José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, as well as Commissioner Louis Michel (development) and Benita Ferrero-Waldner (external relations) will also be in New York. Barroso and Michel took part in a high level meeting on Monday on Africa's development needs and will attend another high level meeting on the Millennium Development Objectives (MDO), on Thursday. Commissioner Michel will hold bilateral meetings with the president of Somalia, Yusus Ahmed Abullahi and the president of the Central African Republic, François Bozize. Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner will take part in different EU Troika meetings (see above) and those with the Quartet on the Middle East. She will also have a lengthy series of bilateral meetings, with Tony Blair (Quartet Envoy) and foreign affairs ministers from Jordan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Equator, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Iraq, Peru, Georgia and Colombia. On Thursday, Ms Ferrero-Waldner will also take part in the EU ministerial Troika with China and Iraq. (H.B./transl.rh)