Q: I would like to find out about your mission to the Congo and how you look at the Congo problem. Are we getting there? Are we about to resolve it?

SG: Well, I am going to the Congo to discuss the peace process with President Kabila and the other Congolese parties, and I will be in Kinshasa and then on to Kisangani.

I would also hope to visit the United Nations soldiers, who are far away from their homes, making a contribution in Africa, in this conflict.

I've always maintained that it is essential that we in Africa put these conflicts behind us and focus on economic and social development. And I am determined to put all my efforts into this direction and work with African leaders to end these conflicts. And that is why I am going to the Congo. And from there I will go to Rwanda to pursue the search for peace in my discussions.

I think the signs are hopeful. We're doing better now than we were six months to a year ago and I hope that the effort and the momentum will be maintained.

Q (Zambian National TV): I would to take you back to South Africa. It appears that most of the stakeholders, the US and the other major countries, have boycotted the Racism Conference. What significance has this for the Conference itself?

SG: Let me clarify the facts. I don't think it is accurate to say that most stakeholders boycotted the Conference. Most of the Member States of the United Nations were there.

The US was there, but at a lower level. What the US said was they were not sending Secretary-of-State Colin Powell, but there was a US delegation at the Conference.

This is a Conference that affects the entire world. There is racism and xenophobia in every society. No society is immune. And so if we are going to fight racism, it demands that all of us make a collective effort to join forces to fight it.

Governments must come up with legislation. They should have administrative institutions for coping with this. We should ensure that curricula at schools have the right material. Children are not born racist. They are taught to hate. And we can also teach them to accept others, to accept diversity. You don't have to detest the other to like who you are. And I think it is very important that (unintelligible), the problem of governance, and so all of us have the responsibility.

So many Governments came to South Africa determined to make a difference in this fight. Obviously, we have some difficult issues to thrash out, but I am quite hopeful that we will leave South Africa having raised awareness considerably, having energized civil society to act, having given the Governments a plan of action that I hope each one will go and draw up their own national plan to fight racism and xenophobia.

That is what we should aim for at the Conference in Durban. Thank you very much.*****