President Halonen travelling to New York and Reykjavik

Office of the President of the Republic of Finland Press Release 13 September 2004

President of the Republic Tarja Halonen will travel to New York to attend the UN General Assembly on 19-22 September 2004.

On Monday, 20 September, President Halonen will speak at a panel discussion arranged by Finland and Tanzania on the subject of fair globalization and the implementation of the UN's Millennium Declaration. The other speakers on the panel are UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, President Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, President Jacques Chirac of France, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and General Assembly President Jean Ping.

The 59th Session of the General Assembly will convene on Tuesday, 21 September. President Halonen will take the floor as Finland's representative at the opening of the session and will attend a reception hosted by President George W. Bush.

From New York President Halonen will fly to Reykjavik, where she will take part in a seminar arranged to mark the 30th anniversary of cooperation in the area of gender equality in the Nordic Council of Ministers. President Halonen will also meet President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson and Prime Minister Halldor Asgrimsson of Iceland. President Halonen will return to Finland on 25 September.