Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen,

Hei! God Dag.

I am very pleased to be in Norway again. My last visit was around 2 years ago.

I have had a very productive meetings with Prime Minister Stoltenberg and also Foreign Minister Støre and Environment and Development Minister Solheim.

We have covered a wide range of issues where Norway plays an important role. Of course, we discussed Energy Plus and Sustainable energy for all initiative and the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development and in addition to all these development issues we covered a wide range of political issues, starting from situations in Libya and the Middle East, Syria and Sri Lanka, to terrorism and piracy over the lunch. So my discussions with Norwegian leaders have been wide ranging. I am very grateful to the Norwegian government for such strong support and cooperation and commitment in working together with the United Nations in dealing with many regional and global issues.

Norway's new Energy Plus initiative launched today, shows admirable leadership in trying to bring this important issue to the top of the international agenda. I thanked the Prime Minister for Norway's extraordinary contributions.

Norway is a leading development donor –not just in absolute terms, but even more so on a per capita basis.

Norway is helping us strengthen our mediation capacities, and is a consistent contributor to peacekeeping. With the support of mediation our stand-by mediation teams have been able to contribute to many regional conflict issues. I am very proud to have appointed Hilde Johnson to lead our mission in the United Nations' newest member state, South Sudan.

Norway is among the countries that pushed the hardest for the establishment of UN Women. The Nobel peace prize announcement gives us even more momentum. The message is clear: women have a vital role in the advancement of peace and security, development and human rights.

It is also clear to me that Norway is strongly committed to multilateralism.

That tradition long pre-dates the United Nations. I refer, of course, to the great Fridtjof Nansen, first High Commissioner for Refugees of the League of Nations. I look forward to tonight's ceremony commemorating the 150th anniversary of his birth.

I will also visit, shortly after this, the site of the terrible 22 July bombing attack and pay my respects at the Cathedral.

A season has passed since terror struck, but I know the pain is still raw.

Norway is a nation of neighbours. For you, the victims were not names. They were your sons and daughters. Together, you must come to terms with your grief.

But I want you to know that the world is with you.

I am very encouraged by Norway's commitment to continue safeguarding its open society.

I will continue to count on that commitment, and Norway's global citizenship.

I am confident you will keep reaching out to the world and lifting up humanity.

I have come to see Norway. This is Norway.

Thank you very much for you contribution.

Q: First of all, Secretary-General, can you tell us about your thoughts immediately after you heard about the terror attack? Secondly the Palestine issue within the UN. How can you as Secretary-General avoid a deadlock?

SG: When I first saw this terrible news, I could not express my feelings. I was so struck, so surprised so struck by what had happened. I immediately called Prime Minister Stoltenberg and conveyed my deepest condolences. At the same time I was quite sure that the Norwegian people would wisely handle this tragedy. In fact you addressed this unacceptable devastation with a democracy and you addressed this issue with tolerance and as an open society. This is what the international community highly appreciated. The pain must still be raw and still terrible in the memories of many people. Even to the memories of people around the world. But you overcame this with a great strength; uncommon courage and strength. This is what I highly commend and this is why I wanted to visit the site and help the Norwegian people to address and overcome this tragic incidence and also raise awareness of for the international community of the necessity to overcome differences of opinion and that differences of opinion should be addressed with harmonious dialogue. This kind of terrorims can never be justified whatsoever, whatever cause there is behind.

The United Nations has been working very hard to strengthen the International Community´s solidarity and commitment to address terrorism. We are also working through Alliance of Civilisation to overcome these differences of beliefs and religion and this is a time for tolerance and mutual understanding., This is my personal feeling at this time.

Q: I would like to ask you, Secretary-General, what are your view points on the latest developments in Egypt?

SG: Egypt and Tunisia are two countries where the people were able to achieve their genuine aspirations and dreams for a democratic and greater participatory democracy.

The international community has a role and a moral obligation to support these countries so the people will be able to fully realize their dreams. Their dreams were just a first stage. The autocratic leaders have left by the power of the people.

I have been engaging with the Egyptian leaders to reflect on people's aspirations. I have been speaking to Field Marshal Tantawi and other senior government officials. And first, reflecting on their wills, they have to have elections in a democratic and credible and open way and the United Nations has deployed election experts who are working very closely with Egyptian authorities and we are also in close coordination with world leaders and also international financial institutes so that they could be able to receive necessary funding for their social and economic development. We will continue to such work.

Q: What do you think about this year´s Nobel Peace Prize?

SG: I said in my statement it is a strong message to the world that women have a vital role to play in the advancement of peace and security, development and human rights. It is a testament to the strength of human sprit.

I expressed my deepest respect and congratulations to these three women leaders.

I spoke to President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, congratulating her and she also told me that while she was honoured and humbled by this award she would be continuously committed to work for the better status of women and gender empowerment.

This has been the top priority of the United Nations: to realize gender equality and gender empowerment. The United Nations has established, for the first time, UN Women, this super agency dealing with the UN.

I have led by example by appointing many women in senior positions. This is an unprecedented number. The number of senior advisors who are women have increased by a minimum of 45 percent during the last 4.5 years. I will continue to do that. This is a great and fantastic momentum for us to work together.

Women, after all, are half the population, people say that they hold half the sky, so if not more they should be given at least equal opportunity. That is my firm conviction and on the basis of this conviction I will continue to do that.

The Palestinian issue: I have made it clear many times that in the context of a two state solution, where the Palestinian and Israelis should live side by side in peace and security, I support the legitimate and genuine aspirations of the Palestinian people to have an independent, sovereign viable and democratic state. I passed the application to the Security Council, the Security Council is not win the process of discussing and reviewing this application. I will at this time urge the participants to engage in dialogue. That is exactly why the Quartet members, including myself, have issued a statement to allow some space where and when diplomacy can work for a future, negotiated settlement of this –I am working on that. I am urging them again to return to the dialogue table. The Quartet has given some specific timelines for the negotiation and the UN and the Quartet will always support that, thank you.

Q: Secretary-General, what is you stand on Sri Lanka? Secondly, today Taiwan is celebrating 100 years of so called independence. What is your message to the 23 million people of the Taiwan island?

SG: On Sri Lanka, as you remember I have established a panel of experts and they have reviewed the situation and made many recommendations. These recommendations need to be implemented by the Sri Lankan people. I have been waiting and waiting until the Sri Lankan government would respond positively on the implementation of the recommendations done by the panel of experts.

Just a couple of week ago I decided to refer these reports to the Human Rights Council and my High Commissioner of Human Rights. They are now reviewing this report from the panel of experts.

I met President Rajapaksa just two weeks ago on the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly and we discussed this matter. He assured me that he would do his best to ensure that the human rights of all the Tamil people are protected and promoted and also to do all domestic measures to see justice prevail.

On your last question, as you know the General Assembly of the United Nations has made a firm principal that Taiwan is part of the Peoples' Republic of China and my policy as been based on that United Nations General Assembly resolution.

Thank you very much.