To review the developments, including Philippine actions, and to build upon the gains of the Millennium Development Goals, which was adopted during the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, the leaders of the world will be in New York on 13-16 September 2005.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will join the other world leaders in New York and the President’s activities and agenda there will focus on very specific issues of primary interest to our country.  While in New York, she will also meet with a number of key investors and business people, interact with the Filipino Community and join them in paying their respects to San Lorenzo Ruiz, when a Chapel in New York is enshrined in the name of our saint.

I have distributed the indicative list of activities of the President and I hope you watched the briefing yesterday of Undersecretary Sonia Brady.  I would like, however, to highlight a number of items.

In terms of agenda, the President will be pursuing greater cooperation in promoting inter-faith dialogue and on fighting terrorism.  She will also focus on regional integration, collective security, multilateralism and United Nations reform, including peacekeeping reform and the establishment of a human rights council.  On top of her agenda also   will be debt for equity conversion, the rising price of oil, migration and support for our peace process.

In pursuing this agenda, she will join the leaders of ASEAN when they meet with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the ASEAN-UN Summit.  She will chair the Interfaith Summit and the UN Security Council Summit.  The President will also join a meeting of a select number of NAM leaders.  She will actively participate in the Interactive Round Table for Leaders at the United Nations and address the Plenary meeting of leaders. While in New York, the President will meet with President Hu Jintao of China and Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi of Malaysia.

I will join the President during the UN Summit.  After the UN Summit, the 60th Session of the UN General Assembly will follow and I will head the Philippine Delegation to this Session.  I have also distributed the list of my activities for this 60th session of the UNGA and I hope to keep you updated on my activities.

At the 60th Session, I will continue to build on the President’s Summit agenda and focus on the specific interests of the Philippines.

I will do this when the ASEAN Ministers meet with Secretary-General Kofi Annan and separately with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.  I will also pursue these items during the ministerial meetings of the Group of 77 and China, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Southwest Pacific Dialogue

I will chair the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council meeting and this will be an important opportunity to pursue our initiatives on addressing the issue of the increasing price of oil.  I will also pursue this agenda when the Ministers of the Asian Consultative Dialogue meet, as we co-chair with Bahrain the ACD’s Working Group on Energy Security.

I am scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of 15 countries. I will also be meeting with the Christian Mission for the UN Community and the American Jewish Community to pursue our interfaith initiatives.

I will also be meeting with the head of the World Wildlife Fund or WWF.  This meeting is particularly important because of the experience and excellent record of the WWF in debt for nature swaps.  The WWF has helped nations not only to negotiate these arrangements, but has also been tapped by lending institutions to carry our debt for nature programs.

At the 60th Session, I will Preside over the Security Council’s thematic debate on the Role of Civil Society in Conflict Prevention and the Pacific Settlement of Disputes.  I will then address the Plenary Meeting of the 60th Session.

While in New York, I will keep you updated on our activities.

Before I leave for New York, I would like to address a few more issues that may be of interest to you.  Mr. Bert Asuque will be issuing press releases on these issues that will give more details.

On our countrymen currently being held in Somalia, we are working closely with several countries in the region to help free our nationals and coordinating closely with DOLE.  Our Manila Economic and Cultural Office, under Mr. Tony Basilio, is working with Taiwan officials and the employers of our nationals.  We are hopeful that we will have our nationals freed safely.  I would like to reiterate at this time, the Department’s advisory first issue in 2003, for our nationals to avoid the maritime area near and around Somalia until such time as acts of violence against commercial and civilian shipping have been addressed.

On the recent violence in Dammam, we are glad that Saudi authorities have been able to subdue the violent elements.  We have instructed our Embassy in Riyadh to ensure the safety of our nationals there. Clashes between Al-Qaida militants and the police continue and nine people have been killed.  There are no Filipino fatalities or injuries.  We are asking our nationals in Dammam to take all necessary precautions and to cooperate with police authorities.

On Hurricane Katrina, we continue to coordinate with our posts in the US and Filipino community leaders and I would like to confirm that there are no Filipinos casualties.  Affected Filipinos have been evacuated.  Our consular officials are assisting them and will be replacing their lost travel documents without charge.  The US Government has given us their specific needs in terms of humanitarian assistance and we will be responding, as a country that is grateful for all the assistance that has been given to us during our own disasters.  The DND and the DOH are in discussions with USAID with regard to the specific medical and health expertise needed on the ground.  We hope to deploy of team shortly.

On the recent plane crash in Indonesia, we convey our deepest sympathies and share the profound sense of loss of the people of Indonesia over this terrible accident.  No Filipinos where on board the Mandala Airlines' Boeing 737-200 on the ground where it crashed. The dead in Monday's crash included 101 passengers and crew and 47 people on the ground. We hope for the early and safe recovery of the sixteen people aboard the flight who survived, including a 5-year-old Pento Panjaitan, who had been given up for dead.

On the President’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, discussions continue on the schedule and the substance of the visit.  To discuss cooperative arrangements on certain areas, a delegation of senior officials from the Kingdom will be visiting shortly.

On the Garcillano Case, as announced by the Palace, all matters relating to this issue will be referred by all Executive departments and agencies to the Department of Justice, which is conducting an investigation on this matter. This is being done to ensure that the Executive will be able to respond to all queries on this issue in a comprehensive and coherent manner.

Thank you.  END.