The Secretary-General met today in Geneva with H.E. Ms. Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

They discussed the Montreux conference and subsequent conference on Syria. They also discussed efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Syria. The Secretary-General thanked the European Union for the generous contribution pledged at the Kuwait conference on 15 January.

He expressed appreciation for the European Union's contribution to the Central African Republic. They agreed on the need to support the African Union and MISCA, including through the forthcoming donors conference on 1 February in Addis Ababa.