Commissioner Chris PATTEN to attend UNGA58 Ministerial Week

In his capacity as European Union (EU) Commissioner for External Affairs, the Rt. Hon. Chris Patten will be in New York September 23-26, 2002 to participate in ministerial meetings during the General Debate of the 58th UN General Assembly, as well as to contribute to special ministerial conferences on Afghanistan and the Middle East (i.e. a "Quartet" meeting, which comprises the EU, US, Russia and UN).

During the UN ministerial week, Commissioner Patten will take part in EU meetings with key countries, regional groupings and UN officials and individuals, including, among others, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, US Secretary of State Colin Powell and the foreign ministers of China, Russia, Japan, the G-8, the Gulf Cooperation Council and Mercosur.

In parallel, Mr. Patten will discuss with senior UN officials bilateral EU-UN co-operation along the lines suggested in the recently approved European Commission's Communication on EU-UN relations (http://www.eu-un.europa.eu/articles/en/article_2701_en.htm), which reaffirms the EU commitment to multilateralism as a central principle of the EU's foreign policy. It also contains proposals to strengthen the UN system and puts forward a series of concrete ways of improving the way the EU engages with the different bodies and agencies of the UN system.

Just days ago, Commissioner Patten was in Baghdad for talks with senior figures involved in the reconstruction of Iraq, and to assess conditions in the country and priorities for assistance in the run-up to the Madrid Conferenceon reconstruction in Iraq set for October 23-24, 2003 (co-hosted by the European Commission). Commissioner Patten expressed the view that a more clearly defined role for the United Nations will be important to maximize donor support. (See http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/iraq/intro/ip03_1263.htm for more on his recent trip).

Since becoming External Affairs Commissioner in 1999, Patten has made the improved effectiveness of EU assistance to other countries and regions an urgent priority, and he has successfully advocated that conflict prevention - removing the root causes of the conflicts themselves - be at the heart of the EU's foreign and security policy. He has been at the forefront of European efforts to combat terrorism, and he has overseen EU efforts to promote peace, stabilization and development in troubled spots across the world, not least in Afghanistan, the Western Balkans and the Middle East.

Note for the media: For more information on Commissioner Patten's visit, or to arrange a potential interview, please contact Christopher Matthews at (212) 401-0134.

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Prior to his current appointment, the Rt. Hon. Chris Patten had a distinguished career in British government, politics and international affairs. In recent years, he served as the last British Governor of Hong Kong (1992-97), Chairman of the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland (1998-99) and Chancellor of Newcastle University (1999). From 1990-92, he was Chairman of the Conservative Party. From 1979 to 1992 he was Member of Parliament for Bath, during which time he served in various ministerial posts, including: Secretary of State for the Environment (1989-90), Minister for Overseas Development (1986-89), Minister of State, Education and Science (1985-86) and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office (1983-85). He is also now Chancellor Elect of Oxford University.

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