THE SECRETARY-GENERAL 4 February 1997 Dear Congressman Hamilton, Thank you for your thoughtful letter of 15 January and for your kind words of support. I am grateful for the efforts you are making on the arrearage issue. I am now working on the plans and proposals for continuing reform and would welcome your ideas on this matter. My office will be in touch with you regarding my next visit to Washington, D.C. in late February. I hope that at that time I might meet with you and others on the House Committee on International Relations to continue our dialogue and our joined efforts to resolve differences and move the United Nations forward. It was good to see you at Jim Wolfensohn's dinner and I look forward to meeting again. With all good wishes. Yours sincerely, Kofi A. Annan The Honourable Lee H. Hamilton Congressman Congress of the United States Washington, D.C. A ' LEE H HAMILTON. INDIANA BENJAMIN A. OILMAN. NEW YOMC CHAIRMAN RANKING DEMOCRATIC MCMBCR WILLIAM F. GOODLING. PENNSYLVANIA SAM GEJDENSON. CONNECTICUT JAMES A. LEACH. IOWA TOM LANTOS. CALIFORNIA TOBY ROTH. WISCONSIN ROBERT G. TORRICELLI. NEW JERSEY HENRY J. HYDE, ILLINOIS ©IIE fmndred .fourth Congress HOWARD L. BERMAN. CALIFORNIA DOUG BEREUTER. NEBRASKA GARY L. ACKERMAN. Ntw YORK CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, NEW JERSEY HARRY JOHNSTON. FLORIDA DAN BURTON. INDIANA ENIF.H FALEOMAVAEGA. AutaiCAM SAMOA JAN MEYERS. KANSAS MATTHEW G. MARTINEZ CALIFORNIA ELTON GALLEGLY. CALIFORNIA Congress of the United States DONALD M. PAYNE. NEW J««S!Y ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN. FLORIDA ROBERT E. ANDREWS. NEW JtRStv CASS BALLENGEH. NORTH CAROLINA ROBERT MENENDtZ. NEW JERSEY DANA ROHRABACHER. CALIFORNIA SHERROD BflOWN. Owo DONALD A. MANZULLO. ILLINOIS Committee on International "Relation*? CYNTHIA A. McKINNEY. Geo«MA EDWARD R. HOYCE. CALIFORNIA ALCEE L. HASTINGS. FLORIDA PETER T. KING. NEW YORK ALBERT RUSSELL WYNN. MARYLAND JAY KIM. CALIFORNIA JAMES P. MORAN. VIRGINIA tiousE of UEpresentatioeB VICTOR 0. FRAZER. VIRGIN ISLANDS llND.I SAM GROWNBACK. KANSAS DAVID FUNDEHBURK. NORTH CAROLINA CHARLIE ROSE. NORTH CAROLINA STEVEN J. CHABOT. OHIO PAT DANNER. MISSOURI MARSHALL "MARK" SANFORD. SOUTH CAROLINA EARL HILLIARD. ALABAMA MATT SALMON. ARIZONA MICHAEL H. VAN DUSEN AMO HOUGHTON, NEW YORK DEMOCRATIC C«iit Of STAFF TOM CAMPBELL. CALIFORNIA January 15, 1997 JON FOX, PENNSYLVANIA RICHARD J.GARON CHIEF OF STAFF B I/ E His Excellency Kofi Annan Secretary General jUjj JAN24.,.,, United Nations Headquarters ; M7 C-IWQ New York, NY 10017 EXECUTIVE OFF!P" THESECRETARY-GEN'EPA'. Dear Mr. Secretary General, It was a pleasure to talk briefly with you earlier this week, and I benefitted from your comments. Your leadership of the world body comes at a critical time and I wish you all the best. I want very much to work with you to enhance relations between the United States and the United Nations, to develop more specificity on the reform issue, and to ensure that the United States starts soon to repay its arrearages to the United Nations. You certainly have hit a responsive chord here when you speak of the need for making the United Nations relevant, effective, and efficient. For my part, I will, in this process of dovetailing reform and adequate resources, work for the payment of our arrears. As I indicated, I willjget back to you shortly with some ideas on the reform issue. In addition, as we agreed when we talked, it is important for you to have opportunities to meet with Members of Congress in the coming weeks and months. If there is anything I can do to facilitate contacts, please let me know. Thanks again for your call. I look forward to seeing you soon and to working with you. Your many friends wish you well in a crucial assignment. I hope you will call on us to help you if we can. With best wishes for 1997, Lee H. Hamilton Ranking Democratic Member.