    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 38 (Monday, September 25, 2006)]
    [Pages 1637-1638]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    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

    [[Page 1638]]

    not available for verification of the content of these remarks.