[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
[September 19, 2006]
[Pages 1672-1673]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Luncheon Hosted by Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations in New York City
September 19, 2006

    Mr. Secretary-General, distinguished members of the United Nations 
community, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we're proud to 
welcome you here to our country.
    I'm pleased to be with you at the 61st session of the United Nations 
General Assembly, this year under the President--under the leadership of 
President Sheikha Khalifa 
from Bahrain, the first woman from the Middle East to serve in this 
position. We welcome her presence on the podium.
    Mr. Secretary-General, it is appropriate that we offer you a toast 
today, a toast based upon our gratitude for your 10 years of service to 
this important body. We need to toast your compassion, when the world 
saw the United Nations respond to natural disasters. We need to toast 
your desire for peace. We need to toast the fact that you're a hard 
worker. For those of you who have had the honor of taking phone calls 
from Kofi Annan, you know that he's not always calling from the same 
address. I've talked to him a lot of times during my time as President, 
and a lot of times my discussions with him came from when he was in 
faraway places, because he cares deeply about the world.
    We need to toast the fact that he loves his wife, and his wife loves him. We need to toast the fact that 
he is a decent, honorable man. We need to raise our glasses to 10 years 
of extraordinary service and be thankful that a man such as Kofi Annan 
was willing to stand up and serve the cause of justice and peace.
    And so now if you'll join me in a toast to a good man and a good 
friend, and we ask for God's blessings on you.

Note: The President spoke at 2:14 p.m. at the United Nations 
Headquarters. In his remarks, he referred to Sheikha Haya Rashed Al 
Khalifa, President, 61st Session of the U.N. General Assembly; and Nane 
Maria Annan, wife of Secretary-General Annan. The transcript released by 
the Office of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of 
Secretary-General Annan. A tape was not available for verification of 
the content of these remarks.

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