Secretary-General's comments following his meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (unofficial transcript)

I just had a very good meeting with Speaker Berri. We discussed the war and the aftermath of the war and the implementation of Security Council resolution 1701. He has assured me of the determination of the government and people of Lebanon to implement that resolution faithfully and the expectation that the Israeli government will do the same.

There is a lot of work to be done. We worked together during the war to provide relief to the needy; we are now entering the stage of recovery and reconstruction and the full implementation of the resolution as I have indicated. And I have assured Mr. Berri that the United Nations and the international community would want to work very, very effectively with the parties to ensure that we do implement the resolution to the fullest and that we have a long-term peace in this region.

We have a chance now to have a long-term ceasefire and a long-term peace and we all need to work together. This is the purpose of my visit here. I have already had a very good discussion with the Prime Minister and now with Speaker Berri, and my discussions are continuing. And I would want to offer my sympathies and deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones -- husbands who lost their wives, wives who lost husbands -- and to understand that the international community is in solidarity with you as it was demonstrated in Brussels on Friday when the European Union offered more than 7,000 troops to come to southern Lebanon to work with us in ensuring longer term peace.

Thank you very much.