[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: GEORGE W. BUSH (2001, Book I)]
[March 23, 2001]
[Page 299]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Prior to Discussions With United Nations Secretary-General
Kofi Annan
March 23, 2001

    President Bush. Good afternoon. It's my honor to welcome the 
Secretary-General to the Oval Office. My administration thinks he is 
doing an excellent job as the Secretary-General of the United Nations, 
and therefore, we heartily endorse his second term as the Secretary-
General.
    I appreciate your willingness to serve a second term, Mr. Secretary-
General, and I'm looking forward to working not only to make sure that 
you serve a second term, but once that's done, work closely with you to 
keep the peace and to make the world more prosperous.
    So, welcome.
    Secretary-General Annan. Thank you very much. Mr. President, I'm 
also looking forward to working with you. And I'm very happy to be here. 
We have many issues to work on together, and I'm looking forward to our 
discussions this afternoon. We will go over a whole range of issues, 
including HIV/AIDS, poverty, the Balkans, and African issues.
    President Bush. Thank you, sir.
    Thank you all. Have a great weekend.

Note: The President spoke at 4:50 p.m. on the South Grounds at the White 
House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these 
remarks.