Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It's a great pleasure to see you again.

On behalf of the United Nations - and myself personally - I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Senator Barack Obama as the next President of the United States.

I have followed the campaign very closely and with great interest over the past year. Both candidates in this election are outstanding men. Both champion causes close to our hearts at the United Nations. Today, Barack Obama is America's choice.

As Secretary-General of the UN, I look forward to working with the new administration to fulfill our common goals and enormously important objectives. This is, I believe, an historic opportunity.

During the campaign, I remember the President-elect speaking eloquently and with passion about "change you can believe in." He spoke about a "new era of global partnership" and building "bridges of cooperation with the UN and other nations."

"No country has a stronger stake in a strong United Nations," he said. And he added, if I may quote some more, "True partnership requires sharing the burdens of development and diplomacy, of progress and peace. It requires partners who listen to one another, learn from each other and, most important, trust each other."

I am confident, today, about future relations between the United Nations and the United States. I am confident that we can look forward to an era of renewed partnership and a new multilateralism.

If ever there were a time for the world to join together, it is now: the global financial crisis; the crisis of climate change; the challenge of fulfilling our promises on the Millennium Development Goals, made more difficult by the twin crises of food and energy prices – these are profound challenges requiring collaboration and cooperation.

Ladies and gentlemen, next week, I will travel to Washington for the summit meeting on "Financial Markets and the World Economy" to be held on November 15.

Today, I am heading to Kenya for the UN-backed summit of the African Union concerning the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I will sit down together with President [Joseph] Kabila [of the Democratic Republic of the Congo] and President [Paul] Kagame [of Rwanda] and encourage them to find a path to peace.

I have been on the phone daily - many times daily - with world leaders working to resolve this conflict.

From Kenya, I will join the Quartet meetings on the Middle East, to be held in the region this weekend.

We also have two other crucially important meetings coming up?one on the conference on financing for development in Doha later this month, and another on climate change in Poznan, Poland, to be held early in December.

All these issues, and many more, require one thing above all else. They require the world's engagement, working together for global leadership.

Today, I look forward to working closely with President-elect Obama. And I also want to congratulate my good friend, Vice President-elect Joe Biden, with whom I have worked so closely during his many years on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

With a glad heart, I welcome this new era of partnership for change.

Thank you very much.

Q: I am wondering, have you spoken to President-elect, by any chance? And if you did, what issues did you say were the priority of working together? And if you haven't spoken, what issues would you tell him are the priority for the two, the UN and the United States, in working together?

SG: I expect I will be able to speak with him as soon as possible. I have requested a telephone call with him.

Q: What would you tell him in terms of what you think the priority issues are, in terms of the two?

SG: First, I would congratulate him in person, in addition to my official statement, and, of course, I will discuss how to strengthen the partnership between the United Nations and the United States. And since we have many issues, like climate change and Millennium Development Goals, the food crisis, the financial crisis, human rights, and also many regional conflict issues on which we need strong US cooperation, assistance and participation These are some of the major important issues which I would like to discuss with him and also get support from him. And I will try to meet him in person as soon as possible in his capacity as President-elect. And I will try to coordinate with his transition team, and my policy team to sit down together to discuss all the matters of our common interest and concern.

Q: There will be an important meeting here next week at the United Nations. Of course, the Saudi King attaches great importance to this meeting. What participation will you have? How much importance do you give it, particularly [since] the King is one of [those] on the Arab peace initiative? What would you like the Quartet to bring back here? When you go to Washington, possibly meeting President-elect Obama and to the Conference next week, what attendance do you expect?

SG: As I said, this initiative will be a very important one that will provide us very important momentum where all the world leaders, representatives from different faiths, different religions, will sit together. As of today, I have received quite an encouraging list of Heads of State and Government participating, including President Bush. And there are many Presidents and Kings, Prime Ministers and [other] Ministers who will take part in this meeting. Now, through this kind of initiative, this will also provide a good opportunity to deepen understanding and appreciation of other religions and faiths and cultures, and all other problems, which will also create a favourable atmosphere, even for the resolution of political issues to which many countries and parties may have different positions. All these different positions should be resolved through dialogue. So this is part of a continuing effort by the United Nations and by the international community.

Q: But what are you taking to the Quartet meeting this weekend that you would you like to bring back a result of – to thatmeeting itself and to, potentially, your bilateral meeting with President-Elect Obama?

SG: We expect that the leaders of the parties will participate in the Quartet meeting and brief the principals of the Quartet about their ongoing negotiations for the Middle East peace process. That would be a very important occasion, and I am sure that there will be another occasion to meet with other Arab leaders. All these will be very important topics which I may be able to discuss with President-elect Obama.

Q: Based on your following the US Presidential campaign, what would you expect to be the biggest change in US approach to the United Nations under a President Obama compared to the Bush Administration?

SG: I understand that he values highly the resolution of all conflict issues through dialogue. He has expressed publicly that he is willing to meet anybody, any country – so that will provide a good opportunity for, not only the United States, but the United Nations as a whole to resolve all the issues through dialogue. I also expect that the United States will take a more active participation in all United Nations organizations and activities.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, the Congolese Government has proven to be reluctant to meet with General [Laurent]Nkunda. When you are in Nairobi, will you encourage President Kabila to, perhaps, open up direct dialogue with the General?

SG: I will certainly encourage him to engage in dialogue with whomever, including [General] Nkunda. I will discuss this matter with President Kabila.

Q: I just wanted to go a little bit more into how do you foresee some change with Obama. More specifically you talked about dialogue – the willingness to have dialogue. Can you be a little bit more concrete, elaborate a little bit more on what sort of dialogue on what you would like to see the new President engaged in. Are you referring to Iran perhaps?

SG: At this early stage, just one day after his election, I may not be in position to speak on behalf of President-Elect Obama. But, as I hope, and as I have been following what he has been publicly saying, and as the Secretary-General of the United Nations, if I may express my hope is that he would engage various leaders of the world and also parties [to] the conflicts and problems. I am sure that will help in accelerating and making progress in the resolution of the issues. That is what I hope.

Q: During the campaign, Mr. Obama famously said that if the US was aware of Osama bin Laden being on the Pakistan side of the border and had actionable intelligence, they would make a strike with or without Pakistani consent. This became a big issue in the campaign. I wonder if you can say, from the UN perspective, what you think of that type of statement, and if whether, between now and January, you might try to speak to both parties so that either consent could be given, or that type of an action could be avoided? What do you think of it?

SG: I would refrain from taking any position on the part of United Nations on any specific issues involving questions which you have raised.

Q: Why do you think that Mr. Obama enjoys such popularity worldwide? What is your feeling as the head of the United Nations? On popular levels, on governmental levels, what is it, in your point of view?

SG: That is the choice of American citizens, American voters. I respect the choice of American citizens to elect their own President and I am ready and prepared to work with a new President of the United States for the promotion of major goals and objectives of the United Nations. The United Nations and the US have shared responsibilities and shared goals and objectives.

Q: Actually I meant to say that the fact that President-elect Obama is popular and liked by many peoples throughout the world - - what do you attribute that to and how do you think it is going to affect his relationship with you and the United Nations for the coming years?

SG: I am optimistic, very optimistic that we will have a very strong relationship, renewed partnership under his Administration, and I am going to discuss this matter. I found him very engaged, very much interested in all major UN goals. In fact, if I may disclose my encounter with President-elect Obama. It was early last year, February last year when I was just a little more than one month into my office. We just came [together] by coincidence - we encountered [one another] in an airplane, in a shuttle from Washington to New York. We sat together. I realized that somebody was coming and we immediately recognized each another – he knew that I was the [UN] Secretary-General, and I knew that he was a Senator and also he was one of the candidates. We spent more than half an hour on the airplane sitting together – discussing many issues. He asked many questions about what the United Nations' major goals are, issues on non-proliferation, like the North Korean and Iranian nuclear issues, and UN reforms. He was very engaged and he knew a lot about the United Nations, and I was very much encouraged. Even though since then I have not had any personal opportunities to meet him, but I am quite optimistic that we will be able to have a strengthened partnership.