Readout of Secretary-General's meeting with Andrew Mitchell, Secretary of State for International Development of the United Kingdom

The two leaders discussed the Millennium Development Goals, sustainable development and the global economic crisis.

The Secretary-General commended the United Kingdom for increasing its official development assistance despite public spending cuts and for its commitment to the UN's Peacebuilding Fund.

The Secretary-General said he was shocked and outraged to hear of the incident in Tehran in which demonstrators entered the British embassy, briefly abducted embassy staff and damaged property. He said he welcomed the Security Council's swift statement condemning the incident and shared its views. He said the Iranian authorities should investigate how such an incident could have happened and take measures to avoid any repeat there or at other diplomatic missions.