Press encounter with CNN upon arrival at UNHQ (unofficial transcript)

SG: I think we've made an important first step. And I believe [Lakhdar] Brahimi and the team did a very good job. I'm also pleased that the Afghan parties realized that they had an opportunity to come together and begin to rebuild their country. Now that they have agreed on the interim administration, I would expect them to go back to Kabul and work very, very closely together. Because it is only by pooling their efforts and cooperating with each other that they can begin to rebuild their country and encourage the international community to come in and help them. Because what is at stake is the future of their people, their country, and their nation. And if there is a reliable government and a serious partner, I'm sure the international community will work with them on reconstruction.

Q: Sounds like you have Baghdad on your mind. Anything we should know about?

SG: No, I know there's a lot in the papers these days, but I have nothing to tell you on Baghdad. I want to focus on Afghanistan.

Q: The Mid-East - not so well there. Who's at fault? What can be done now? You've issued hundreds of statements asking for an end to the cycle of violence.

SG: I think we are all concerned about the developments in the Middle East. And I'm in touch with many leaders around the world. And I think what is important is that we get the parties to pull back from the brink and really get them back to the table. I know there is a sense that we need to get the violence down. We need to have several days of peace before we get to the table, but we've been insisting on this for over a year. And that hasn't happened. So we need to do something different. We have to be creative and find a way of getting them to the table. My own sense is that it is when the killing is going on, when people are being shot at, when families are grieving for the dead, that you need to get to the table. It becomes even more urgent and I would hope that the efforts that are being made both by the US government, the Europeans, the Russians, and my team on the ground, and other governments will yield the results that we are all seeking.

Q: War in the Middle East, war in Afghanistan. You're going to accept the 100th Nobel Peace Prize. Interesting timing. Will you try on capitalize on the event?

SG: Well, I think it shows what a messy world we live in and that the question of war and peace is always with us. But we should never lose hope and we should keep trying to calm the situation and get peace. Without hope, without dreams, we are finished. *****