The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Jean Ping, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, on the margins of the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Istanbul.

The discussion focused on developments in the Middle East and North Africa, in particular Libya. The Secretary-General emphasized the importance of the UN and AU maintaining close cooperation in addressing the peace and security challenges in the region.

They also discussed other issues of mutual concern, in particular Cote d'Ivoire.