[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 37 (Monday, September 16, 2002)]
[Page 1535]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Luncheon Honoring Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the 
United Nations in New York City

September 12, 2002

    The President. Mr. Secretary-General, and distinguished members of 
the United Nations community, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, 
welcome to New York. My country is honored to be the home of the United 
Nations. And I'm honored to be with you today for the opening week of 
the 57th Session of the U.N. General Assembly.
    We gather in a city that was changed forever by the events of one 
year and one day ago. Secretary-General, the people of the United States 
will never forget your leadership in the days following September the 
11th. Within a day, the General Assembly strongly condemned the terror, 
and very quickly the U.N. took strong action to support and strengthen a 
global coalition against global terror. The United States is grateful to 
the U.N. and to every person and every nation that has joined this 
cause.
    We gather to address the urgent challenges of a world awakened to 
danger. Mr. Secretary-General, thanks to your leadership, the U.N. is 
playing a valuable role in meeting these challenges. The U.N. Charter 
commits each nation here to promoting social progress and better 
standards of life in larger freedom. Today we rededicate ourselves to 
these ideals.
    Mr. Secretary-General, I offer a toast to you to continued 
cooperation between the United States and the United Nations.

[At this point, the participants drank a toast.]

    The President. Thank you. Let's eat.
      
      

Note: The President spoke at 1:39 p.m. in the U.N. Delegates Lounge at 
United Nations Headquarters.