Meeting Between Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi
and Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan
(Summary)

Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi held talks with Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan at the United Nations headquarters on 15 September 2002. The following is a summary of the meeting.

1. Iraqi Problem

(1) Foreign Minister Kawaguchi stated that she considered that it was appropriate that the speech given by President George W. Bush of the United States at the UN General Assembly General Debate presented Iraqi problem as the "international community standing against Iraq which possesses weapons of mass destruction." She added that the United Nations had to bear a great responsibility in this endeavor, and that Japan would continue to work in close cooperation with the United Nations on this issue. She also expressed her expectations for the Secretary-General's leadership.

(2) In response, Secretary-General Annan stated that it was necessary for the United Nations to seek a peaceful resolution to the situation, and that for this purpose pressure had to be put on Iraq to allow United Nations inspections. Secretary-General Annan pointed out that he had been holding many talks with the foreign ministers of countries concerned and that in case the efforts of the United Nations did not bear results, then the Security Council must face its responsibility.

2. Reform of the United Nations

(1) Foreign Minister Kawaguchi stated that she had been informed that the Secretary-General's report on reform of the United Nations would be released on 23 September. She stated that it was important to proceed with reforms in order to be able to deal with the various issues raised at the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000 and that Japan was willing to offer all the necessary cooperation. In addition, Foreign Minister Kawaguchi stated that based on her own experiences, although conferences on the Kyoto Protocol and the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) had succeeded to bear significant results, she considered that there were some remaining challenges from the perspective of efficient conference management.

(2) In response, Secretary-General Annan stated that the UN must seek a greater efficiency in proceeding with its reform and that it was of the greatest importance towards the realization of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. Furthermore, Secretary-General Annan stated that there was room for improvement in such issues as downsizing of the United Nations system and budgetary issues, and that he would tackle these issues with the cooperation of member countries.