Commemorating the end of the Second World War in Europe.

In paying tribute to all who had fought in the Second World War for the "triumph of justice and fraternity", Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, attending a commemoration ceremony in Moscow of the 50th anniversary of the end of war in Europe, on 9 May declared that the United Nations was the result of that struggle. It was a "privileged moment in history" when mankin'd and nations had been able to "ward off the forces of destruction and project themselves into the future as an indissoluble international community", he stated.

And it was Moscow itself, the Secretary-General went on, that had witnessed, on 30 October 1943, the "signing of the famous Declaration proclaiming `the necessity of establishing at the earliest practicable date a general international organization ... for the maintenance of international peace and security".

In calling upon some 50 Heads of State and Government present to continue their support "in this great enterprise - to enable the family of nations to face the future with confidence", Mr. Boutros-ghali stressed that "only by doing so can we remain faithful to the vision of those men and women who saw, beyond the war, a world of peace and cooperation".

He pronounced: "It is our duty to the victims of all wars, the victims of hatred, intolerance and poverty. Let a strong United Nations be our legacy to the children of peace."

Eduard Shevardnadze, Head of State of Georgia, Chancellor Heimut Kohl of Germany, Prime Minister John Major of the United Kingdom and President William Clinton of the United States, as well as Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Prime Minister Victor Chernomyrdin, Defense Minister Pavel Grachev and Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, also made statements. Presidents Jiang Zemin of China and Frangois Mitterand of France were among other dignitaries attending the event.

The Secretary-General, during his three-day (8-10 May) stay in Moscow, held meetings with President Yeltsin and other Russian officials to discuss the role of the Russian Federation and the UN in the modern world, peace-keeping, the former Yugoslavia, and conflict situations in some former Soviet republics, such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Georgia.

The Secretary-general also visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for a wreath-laying ceremony, met with the UN staff in Moscow and received a medal from the Academy of Sciences of Moscow.

On 9 May, the Russian language edition of "The United Nations and Nuclear Non-Proliferation", part of the "Blue Book" series, was published in Moscow. it contains a five-section introduction by the Secretary-General, his 17 April inaugural address to the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and relevant resolutions, reports and other documents on the subject.