US: The UN secretary general, Mr Kofi Annan, is to make a four-day official visit to Ireland, starting on Wednesday, October 13th writes Deaglán de Bréadún in New York.
It will include meetings with the President, Mrs McAleese, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Dermot Ahern. This will be followed by a visit to Derry to give an address on the UN's role in peacekeeping at the invitation of fellow Nobel laureate Mr John Hume and the vice-chancellor of the University of Ulster, Prof Gerry Mckenna.
Mr Annan will be a guest at the Forum on Europe on Thursday at Dublin Castle, where he will speak on UN-EU co-operation, particularly military and joint crisis management situations.
He will also visit McKee Barracks in Dublin to meet Irish Defence Forces personnel, including veterans of UN peacekeeping operations.
His programme includes a call on the President, Mrs McAleese, a lunch with the Taoiseach and a working dinner with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Ahern. He is scheduled to take part in a panel discussion on development issues at Trinity College, Dublin.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs said he was looking forward to "positive and productive discussions" with Mr Annan.
"The period ahead is a particularly important one for the United Nations as all member states prepare for a high-level meeting which will review the state of progress in the implementation of the Millennium Summit Declaration and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals."
The Millennium Development Goals refer to targets in areas such as poverty eradication, governance, gender equality, universal primary education and the elimination of HIV/AIDS.