Press encounter at World Food Summit, (unofficial transcript - for further use please contact Reuters TV concerning copyright restrictions)

SG: I think we would have been happy to see many of them here at the high level, but what is important is what we do after this conference, what we do to implement the Millennium Development Goals.

As I mentioned this morning, we've had many promises at all these conferences. What we want now is action. And if we can carry through with action, and help the developing countries feed themselves, help them strengthen their own institutions and open the markets so that they can trade themselves out of poverty instead of living on handouts, I think we will be happy. One doesn't have to attend to do that, and I hope this will be done whether they are here or not.

Q: Should rich countries drop protection of there agriculture through subsidies?

SG: Oh, absolutely. I know it's a major political issue, but we cannot talk of free trade and truly open markets if we are going to do that. You put yourself in the shoes of a small developing country which can not export its agriculture products because of restrictions and tariffs, a small developing country that cannot compete on the world market even if it could export because the richer farmers in the richer countries are heavily subsidized.

And obviously one can say we do give them assistance, we do send in food aid, we do that. But the food-aid helps in the short term. In the longer term, it makes it difficult for the local farmers to produce and compete, not only locally but on the international market. So there is no point in giving with one hand and taking it with the other. What's the point of helping, for example, dairy farmers in the developing countries and then selling subsidized powdered milk in their economy, which makes it difficult to continue their production?

Q: Are you comfortable about President Mugabe of Zimbabwe coming here today, given the EU and US travel restrictions on him? The United States said that he is in part responsible for the food crisis in Zimbabwe.

SG: He is here to attend a UN Conference, and under the host government agreement, he has every right to be here to attend the UN Conference, irrespective of the EU sanctions against him.

Q: Finally, will the UN be taking a bigger role in the India/Pakistan conflict?

SG: Well, I've been in touch with the leadership of the two countries, and I'm also working with other leaders around the world, working to encourage the leaders to defuse tension. I think the encouraging news is that I don't either want war and that is the hope we have. But of course when you have a million men confronting each other, anything can happen. An accident could happen. And that's why it's so urgent to work with them to deescalate and defuse the tensions.*****