Q: Mr. Annan, what would be your message to the world at this moment?

SG: My message to the world is, as we heard here, everybody is saddened by what has happened. We are all human beings, and we all believe that we should do unto others as we would have done unto us. And I think the message is clear, as we heard this morning: Islam is a religion for peace. It talks of God, the Merciful, the Almighty -- how would one kill in the name of a religion that professes peace, that professes God as God the Merciful?

I think the message should be clear: We should look for the culprits, and punish them, but we should not make anyone guilty by association, by religion, or by the region that he or she comes from. And I think this message is coming out from American leaders as well. It's very important that we respect that. The whole world has stuck together in solidarity with what has happened here in New York, with the American people and the American Government. And they have vowed to work together to root out terrorism. And I mean the whole world: Europe, the Arab world, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America and Africa are all going to work together, and we should focus on the culprits and not tarnish a whole people, whole religion and whole region with the same brush.

Q: How can we stop the cycle of hate, the hate cycle toward the Muslim religion?

SG: I understand that some people will be angry, and be vengeful and looking for a religion. We have criminals in every society, in every religion, and we should focus on the individuals that did this, and stop this Islamophobia, which is beginning to pick up. I condemn it utterly, as I condemn every aspect of hatred and racism. And we also have to understand that those who think they are believers, they must understand that true faith, real faith, insists on respect and demands that we respect others.

Q: Sir, did you know anyone in the World Trade Center who is missing?

SG: I have a friend, a colleague, who has lost a brother. Today, we had a gathering at the UN, and someone walked up to me and said, "I lost four neighbors." We also rang the Peace Bell today. The Peace Day is 11 September, when this [attack] took place, and one of the people who came today was saved on Tuesday because he had planned to come to the UN for the Peace Day because his daughter was singing, and therefore did not go to work. But he lost four colleagues.

Anyway, let's hold together, let's respect each other, and let's try not to go out and take the law into our own hands, accusing innocent people of crimes they have not done. The [US] Government is going about this methodically, and I am sure in time they will focus on the culprits, and let's wait for that. *****