Press encounter upon arrival at UNHQ (unofficial transcript)

SG: Well, I really don't know. I think it's up to them to explain it. As to the question of the defectors, I have very little details about it and so I really wouldn't want to get into it.

Q: Can you tell us about your trip to Africa that's coming up?

SG: Yes, I'll be going to the OAU Summit, where I hope I will have the chance to discuss with the African leaders the need to work together to end the crises and the conflicts on the continent, and particularly at a time when they are thinking of creating an African Union, to work together to end the conflicts and focus on economic and social issues. "Union" implies harmony. "Union" implies stability. And if you are going to form a union, they should look at how the European Union did it, and begin by ending conflicts.

Q: The Small Arms Conference begins next week. I wonder, there are some in America who fear the UN is trying to take away their guns. What do you think the main goal should be of this conference?

SG: I think the main goal is going to be to try and ensure that we control illicit arms trade, to ensure that guns do not get into the wrong hands. And when you look at the history of the last 20 years or so, most of the killing in the world, apart from the AIDS epidemic, is being done by small arms. We've worried a lot about nuclear disarmament, which is important and we should focus on. But these arms are doing incredible damage in cities, in war-torn areas, and I hope we can get the manufacturers and governments to work with us in controlling the flow of these illicit arms.

Q: A lot of going into the Small Arms Conference, a lot of complaints have come from NGOs that this is just going to fall very short of what's needed. There's not going to be an international treaty, no monitoring groups, not enough on licit arms, control of licit arms.

SG: I think that perhaps the document is not going to be as strong as we would have liked, but it is a step in the right direction. It is a recognition by the international community that we need to do something about these weapons. And I will not be surprised if on this issue, NGOs and civil rights activists rallied around it as they did on the landmine issue because it's an issue that is of great importance to everybody in every community and everyone with a young child to protect. *****