UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sent greetings to his predecessor Javier Perez de Cuellar, who is marking his 100th birthday, a UN spokesman said on Friday.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, said the fifth secretary-general of the world organization marks his centenary on Sunday and the present UN chief has sent his best wishes.
The spokesman said that Guterres wrote in his letter that Perez de Cuellar held the office of the secretary-general with dignity and commitment and, indeed, through his last moments as secretary-general in 1991 with the historic El Salvador peace accords, which were signed at the last minute of his term.
Guterres wrote that, as the United Nations now marks its 75th anniversary, people who work for the world body today strive every day to build on Perez de Cuellar's impressive legacy, Dujarric said. "We all wish him a happy birthday."
Perez De Cuellar, a Peruvian, served as UN secretary-general from 1982 to 1991.
