Remarks at the Launching of the Mwalimu Nyerere Chair in Development

"As Minister of Foreign Affairs of my country, I accompanied Mwalimu Nyerere to the historic North South Summit held in Cancun, Mexico in 1981. In the course of the deliberations of the summit there occurred what I would characterize as an interesting, frank and not all together amiable exchange of views between President Ronald Reagan and President Nyerere on the topical issues affecting the world economy with particular reference to the inequities of the International Economic System and double standards applied by some of the developed countries with respect to the issues at stake. [...]

It was a heated exchange and you could see that President Reagan was uncomfortable and quite taken aback. In parentheses, Mwalimu turn to me and said 'Salim, there goes any chance of being Secretary General of the UN.' - Dr. Salim, September 29, 2011