Remarks upon arrival at UNHQ, (unofficial transcript)

SG: There are discreet contacts. And I think lots of governments and leaders of goodwill are at work. And I hope that, in time, we'll see some movement. I think it is important that we all recognize that all these issues are linked -- the violence, the economic deprivation and the political process. And we need to tackle them flexibly. But of course, as I've said, it is essential that we find a way of getting the parties to engage and to talk because now that the killing is going on, now that we are living this tragedy, is more important reason to talk. And I would hope that the parties are listening to the good counsel that they are getting all around, and that they will work with us to de-escalate and try and move the process forward.

Q: Another quick question. I know you saw the Arab group yesterday. The Palestinian Observer has demanded that the Security Council do something. There's talk of another resolution. Would any of these be helpful? What can happen here? What do you see?

SG: I know that the Council members are concerned, very concerned, about developments in the region like everyone else. They've had intensive consultations about it. The President, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, is in touch with everyone. And I think what the Arab Ambassadors who came to see me pleaded was that the Council should take some action, should take initiatives that will help galvanize the parties to recognize that they have to work to stop the violence and begin to improve the situation and engage in the dialogue. They are as desperate as we are to see improvement in the situation. And Sir Jeremy Greenstock, President of the Council, and myself have been doing lots of thinking and talking and I think he is exploring how best the Council can move forward. And of course, I'm working and will be working very closely with the Council to continue to explore what initiatives we can do that will be positive for the process, let me put it that way. And this is what, in fact, the Arab countries came to talk to me about. We had a very good conversation. It was constructive, and non-confrontational, and they didn't come with demands. They really came to think together as to what the UN, in the form of the Security Council and the Secretary-General, can do to help the process.

Q: May I ask you about the AIDS drug agreement yesterday? That was a dramatic piece of news which presumably will be developing in Abuja. What do you think of the South African Health Minister's comments yesterday, that the drugs are not suitable for the developing countries, that they don't have enough money to buy them anyway?

SG: I think obviously the question of money is an issue. But one does not expect that the medication will get to everyone affected with AIDS immediately. It is going to be a progression. And I think the figures that we see in the South African situation, where about 10,000 people are now getting this medication, is that maybe in a year or so it can move to a hundred thousand, and then on to 400,000. So the fact that not everyone can get it, doesn't mean that we shouldn't get it to those who can. And I think, in fact, in all our efforts, we recognize that we need to focus on prevention and care, and that these are two important pillars of our strategy. We also recognize that we are going to need additional infusion of money, a real international global fund to help strengthen the health systems of these countries for our attempt to help them to be actually effective. I think these medications can help. They can help mother-to-child transmission. And we need to really work with the pharmaceutical industry, with governments, with NGOs, and companies that are giving care to their staff and the communities, as to how best we get this delivered. But availability of the drugs alone is not sufficient. We need to do much more. *****