Remarks to the press following meeting with Foreign Minister Anatoliy M. Zlenko of Ukraine, (unofficial transcript)

SG: Thank you very much, Mr. Minister. I think the Minister has given you a comprehensive sense of the issues we discussed. And for me it has been a wonderful experience to come back to visit Kiev. The last time I was here was in 1984. And I've seen all the changes and to have such constructive discussions with an old friend, the Minister, who himself spent over 20 years in the UN, both in Paris and in New York.

We are cooperating on a wide range of issues and I was very pleased to have had the opportunity to go through some of these issues with the President and to be able to visit the conference on AIDS this morning, as I said, and to see that dynamism, the approach, the partnership, the engagement of the young people, including those who are infected by the disease. And as I said this morning, they have a particular role to play in talking to their peers, warning their peers, to learn to protect themselves, so that we can prevent, as well as to treat, those who are infected.

And just a few minutes ago, the Minister and I discussed about the possibility of a regional conference on HIV/AIDS to be held in Kiev, when countries in the region will come together to discuss this problem, share experiences and ensure that they are all taking steps to protect their citizens. It is going to take leadership, sustained effort and commitment and I urge you, ladies and gentlemen of the press, to be part of that struggle. You have power; you have influence and write about it and support the effort.

Q: [Translated from Ukrainian] Mr. Annan, how do you estimate a work of Ukraine in the UN Security Council?

SG: I think Ukraine did an outstanding job in the Security Council, participated actively with ideas and worked extremely well with all the Security Council members including the permanent five and me as a Secretary-General and the Secretariat. I know your Ambassador Valery [Kuchinsky] is here. And I do not want to embarrass him, but he was a very effective representative of Ukraine on the Security Council.

And I am sure you are aware that it wasn't a calm period. We were dealing with Afghanistan, the Middle East, with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, and a whole range of issues. So, the Council was meeting almost every day. Thank you very much. *****