On Thursday, 30 August, the Secretary-General had a series of meetings while in Tehran to attend the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.
In his meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister, H.E. Mr Aliakbar Salehi, he thanked the Iranian authorities for their close cooperation with the UN Country Team. He also welcomed Iran's expanded education opportunities for women and encouraged Iran to similarly expand opportunities in the political and professional spheres. The Secretary-General also discussed concerns about Iran's nuclear programme and human rights. They also spoke about Syria. On Iran's nuclear programme, the Secretary-General underscored the importance of transparency and full compliance with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Regarding the P5+1, the Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister agreed on the need for positive momentum in the talks.
The Secretary-General met with the President of Egypt, H.E. Mr. Mohamed Morsy. The Secretary-General reiterated his congratulations to the President on assuming office. He said the United Nations stood ready to continue to support Egypt's transition. He also underscored the importance of Egypt's leadership on questions of regional peace and security. They also discussed the need for progress on the Middle East Peace Process and compared notes on Palestinian reconciliation.
In his meeting with the President of Burkina Faso, H.E. Mr Blaise Compaore, the Secretary-General discussed the international community's growing concern about developments in the Sahel and in Mali in particular. He thanked the President for his mediation efforts on behalf of ECOWAS.
The Secretary-General also met the Prime Minister of Nepal, H.E. Mr. Baburam Bhattarai. The Secretary-General urged the Prime Minister to continue efforts to find consensus on the way forward so that constitution-making and reconciliation can resume and be completed without delay.
The Secretary-General had a meeting with H.E. Mr. Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The Secretary-General expressed concern about the food and nutrition situation in the DPRK, particularly following the long dry spell in the spring and the recent flooding. He noted the United Nations had provided approximately $2 million in emergency humanitarian assistance through the Central Emergency Response Fund, and accepted the President's sincere appreciation. The Secretary-General thanked the DPRK Government for hosting the UN's humanitarian mission led by Under-Secretary-General Valerie Amos last year. He expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in the DPRK and emphasized the importance of maintaining continued contacts between the UN and the DPRK. With regard to inter-Korean relations, the Secretary-General said he hoped for an improvement in cross-border relations. The Secretary-General said an improvement in inter-Korean relations could also help the North improve ties with the United States.