Secretary-General's toast at dinner hosted by H.E. Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda", Prime Minister of Nepal

Thank you so much, Prime Minister Prachanda, for your kind words and for hosting this wonderful dinner.

I have only just arrived but I can already feel the warmth of your country's hospitality. I look forward to seeing different parts of the country, especially Lumbini. United Nations Secretary-General U Thant visited that sacred spot in 1967, so I am following in a proud tradition.

This trip is historic not just for me personally, but because I am the first Secretary-General to visit since the Constituent Assembly was formed.

I am here to congratulate you on this great milestone, and to pledge the UN's continued strong support for the peace process.

I am also here to offer my sincere thanks to Nepal, which has contributed so much to the United Nations over the years.

For more than half a century, Nepali soldiers have served with distinction in UN peacekeeping operations around the world. Indeed, you are one of the most important contributors we have. Some sixty thousand Nepali troops and police have served under the blue flag.

I have seen with my own eyes how they are helping struggling people in places like Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are promoting a sense of security. They are providing relief aid. And they are offering hope.

But Nepal can do even more if it leads by example.

That is why I was so heartened to hear you, Prime Minister Prachanda, tell the General Assembly last month that Nepal would like to serve as a model of peace.