Secretary-General's press encounter upon arrival in Qatar

SG: Well I also wanted to see the Emir, who is one of the leaders in the region, to talk to him about issues of mutual interest, to talk about issues affecting the region and the rest of the world.

I'm sure we'll discuss the situation in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as the development and the educational efforts that are taking place here.

Q: You are moving to reestablish the United Nations in Iraq. Do you think the situation is safe enough to make such a decision?

SG: Let me say that we are prepared to do everything we can to help the people of Iraq. We are monitoring the security situation; and of course security is essential, not just for the UN staff but for the average Iraqi, for reconstruction, for all the wonderful things that one wants to do in Iraq. And therefore one of the key issues is to create a secure environment so that all these things can happen.

You know we played an important role in the establishment of the government. So we have been able to do things and we are still doing certain things in Iraq and we'll continue to do them.

Q: Can you tell us the name of your new representative in Iraq?

SG: I cannot tell you yet. We will appoint him shortly.

Thank you very much.