Thank you, Your Excellency, Mr. Prime Minister, Distinguished Cabinet Ministers, Honorable Chief Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen of the media,

It is a great honour and pleasure for me to visit Pakistan as the Secretary-General of the United Nations. I am very much impressed by all you have achieved. Thank you very much for this warm welcome and hospitality.

This is a good will visit. I came to Pakistan with the best wishes and the good will of the United Nations at this time when the country, the region, and for that matter the world, face major peace and security challenges, including the global threat of terrorism, and also development challenges at a time of serious economic and financial constraints.

I thank you for your concern expressed for Mr. Solecki and also for the Pakistani national who was kidnapped and, unfortunately, killed during this terrorist attack. I sincerely hope the Pakistani Government will spare no effort to get Mr. Solecki released, and my deepest condolence to the family of our Pakistani national UN staff.

Pakistan is an important Member of the United Nations, an active Member that plays a significant role on many issues on the global agenda. In particular, I greatly appreciate Pakistan's role as the largest troop contributor to UN peacekeeping, and I wish to pay my tribute to Pakistani personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty with the United Nations.

I am aware of the complexities of regional relations, particularly in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks. On many occasions, I have stressed, and today I have also stressed to the Prime Minister and my other interlocutors the importance of maintaining and strengthening the rapprochement between India and Pakistan that has taken its own momentum in the last several years. In the long run, this is a critical aspect of regional relations and one that can pave the way for a new era of cooperation, peaceful coexistence and socio-economic transformation in South Asia.

I have also come to express the readiness of the United Nations to support Pakistan in overcoming the many challenges the country is facing. A moment ago, I witnessed the signing between the United Nations Country Team and the Government of Pakistan of a comprehensive programme prepared in full partnership with the federal and provincial governments, civil society and the donor community. The programme will cover, among other things, poverty reduction, rural development, job creation, education, health and the environment, and will be implemented throughout the country.

The United Nations is also gearing up to help the Government address the humanitarian needs of the population displaced by violence from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the Swat Valley. I wholeheartedly endorse the appeal for funds launched by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs a few days ago with a view to bringing relief to the scores of thousands who have been compelled to flee their homes in recent weeks.

Finally, I have expressed to the Prime Minister the readiness of the United Nations to support the Group of Friends of Democratic Pakistan, gathered at the initiative of the Government of Pakistan. The Group, which was established last September, in the context of the UN General Assembly, aims at building a strong partnership to foster peace and stability in the region, promote economic development and financial stability, build institutions and address energy needs. There is no doubt that the seriousness and the urgency of these issues calls for a higher synergy between the efforts of all stakeholders, both Pakistani and international. I encourage the Pakistani Government and the Group of Friends to pool their resources on the basis of a clear and common approach to peace, security, development and the strengthening of democratic institutions.

I am aware of the complexity of all these challenges, but I am also deeply convinced that a stable, democratic and prosperous Pakistan does not only respond to the aspirations of its people; it also offers the best guarantees for peace, stability and development in the region at large. The United Nations stands by Pakistan in achieving these goals. Thank you very much.