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United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday discussed the humanitarian situation in Iraq, where United States and British forces entered the 9th day of their fighting, as well as the stalled peace process in the Middle East.
Annan and Blair initially met one-on-one for about 25 minutes before sitting down with their full delegations, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said in a brief statement.
They welcomed the progress achieved in the Security Council's efforts to adopt a draft resolution on the oil-for-food program for Iraq, the statement said.
German Ambassador to the United Nations Gunter Pleuger told reporters earlier that a draft resolution on the oil-for-food program could possibly be put to a vote in the Security Council as early as Friday.
The statement said Annan and Blair also reviewed the next steps to seek a peace agreement between the Palestinians and Israelis.
Both stressed "the importance of active engagement on the early implementation of the 'road map' to peace," it added.
Blair briefed Annan on his talks in Washington with US President George W. Bush, according to the statement.
Blair, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, refused to take reporters' questions before and after his meeting with Annan.
The British leader flew into New York after his talks with Bush.
(Xinhua News Agency March 28, 2003)
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