The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Ali Bongo Ondimba, the President of the Republic of Gabon, on the margins of the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit.
 
The two leaders discussed the situation in Gabon and in Central Africa, and renewed their commitment to enhance cooperation between the United Nations and Gabon, as the host country of the recently established UN Office for Central Africa (UNOCA). In this context, the Secretary-General and the President discussed the holding of a joint Summit by ECCAS, ECOWAS and the Gulf of Guinea Commission to develop a common maritime security strategy in cooperation with the African Union, as called for by Security Council Resolution 2039 (2012).
 
The Secretary-General also reiterated the United Nations’ commitment to continue to lend its support to the efforts of Gabon and Equatorial Guinea towards settling their border dispute peacefully, including its referral to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a timely manner.

They also discussed recent developments in Mali and between Sudan and South Sudan. The Secretary-General encouraged the President to attend the Rio+20 UN conference on sustainable development.