The Secretary-General met today with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland, H.E. Mr. Eamon Gilmore T.D. During their meeting, the'Secretary-General and the Deputy Prime Minister discussed Ireland's chairmanship of the OSCE in 2012 and relations between the United Nations and the OSCE.

They also exchanged views on the Middle East peace process, in particular in light of both the Secretary-General's and the Deputy Prime Minister's recent visits to the region, as well as on the situation in Syria and'Libya.

Finally, they briefly discussed the upcoming Rio+20  Summit in June 2012 and the economic and financial situation in euro-zone countries.