[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 39 (Monday, September 29, 2003)]
[Page 1256]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Prior to Discussions With Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the 
United Nations in New York City

September 23, 2003

    I appreciate being here with the Secretary-General. He's a leader 
and a friend. We look forward to working with the United Nations to 
achieve big objectives. The big objective, of course, is for there to be 
peace and freedom, peace in the Middle East, freedom for people who are 
oppressed.

    I assured the Secretary-General our Nation will still continue to 
provide help for famine and disease. We're mostly going to talk about 
today the need for the United Nations and the free world to work against 
slavery in all forms, particularly the sex slavery that takes place all 
over the world--in our civilized world. The world must combine our 
resources and our will to stop this abhorrent practice.

    Mr. Secretary, thank you, sir. It's great to be back.

Note: The President spoke at 9:50 a.m. at the United Nations 
Headquarters. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of these remarks.