President Drnovšek's first bilateral meetings at the World Economic Forum
Davos (Switzerland) , 01/25/2003 | press release
President of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Janez Drnovšek today met the executive director of UNICEF, Carol Bellamy, in Davos where he is participating in the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. The two discussed the current international situation and the consequences it may have for international relations. Carol Bellamy focused on the importance of protecting the rights of children in conflicts and explained UNICEF’s preparations to assist Iraqi children in the case of military intervention.
President Drnovšek and Ms Bellamy’s discussion touched on the problem of the limited resources the international community has available for post-conflict reconstruction and social renewal. President Drnovšek said that focusing on one crisis area should not be an excuse for ignoring other areas that need international assistance to achieve stability. He mentioned South-Eastern Europe in this context, and said that its successful stabilisation was very much dependent on economic assistance and an ongoing international presence in the region. As a future EU member, Slovenia can also contribute to the successful development of the region, in which it already has an economic presence.
Carol Bellamy thanked President Drnovšek for the role Slovenia had played in protecting and promoting children’s rights. She mentioned the great work of the Slovenian UNICEF committee, one of the most successful national committees. She added that Slovenia’s membership on the executive committee was very significant, especially since Slovenia’s representative had been voted to the position of committee vice-president. Ms Bellamy and President Drnovšek expressed the conviction that the excellent working relationship between Slovenia and UNICEF would continue during Slovenia’s two-year membership on the executive committee.
President Drnovšek also met the former President of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo, who now heads the Yale Centre for the Study of Globalisation. The main subject of their talks was the current international situation and its influence on globalisation processes. They focused on Euroatlantic relations, especially in the light of their agreement that the manner in which the Iraqi crisis was solved would influence the direction in which international relations develop.