Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It is a great pleasure to see you.

As you know, I am just back from Central Asia.

Let me comment briefly on three aspects of my trip to Central Asia.

First, human rights. At every stop, I delivered a simple and direct message. For the UN, the protection of human rights is a bedrock principle. Robust civil society, grounded in rule of law and the human rights of free expression and free media, free assembly, tolerance and democracy, is essential to modernization.

I urged the leaders in the region to comply fully with international human rights laws and the many treaties to which they are signatories. I also urged them to fully implement all recommendations made by the UN Human Rights Council under the Universal Periodic Review.

Second, the situation in Kyrgyzstan. I am following the situation very closely. My special envoy, Jan Kubis, arrived in Bishkek over the weekend. He has been meeting with all parties, working closely with the envoys of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and others, to maintain and restore constitutional order while respecting the wishes of the Kyrgyz people. He will brief me directly upon his return to New York on Thursday.

Third, my discussions with the region's leaders focused, in particular, on an issue of crucial importance to all five nations of Central Asia. I refer, here, to the management of natural resources, chiefly water and energy. The question is how to use common resources for common prosperity. Everywhere, tensions are rising. Visiting the Aral Sea, in Uzbekistan, I saw a graveyard of ships, marooned in the sands of what was once a deep sea-bed.

Resolving these tensions harmoniously, through dialogue and negotiation, is a collective responsibility, not only of the region's leaders, but the international community. I would be happy to discuss the UN's proposed initiatives. It is important that we act before the situation grows worse.

On the way back from Central Asia, I stopped in Vienna, Austria, for a very successful though brief bilateral visit. I also attended and chaired the annual spring meeting of the Chief Executives Board. We discussed how the United Nations can more closely work together as one team in addressing a host of global issues, including the continuing financial crisis as well as other challenges. We further discussed the preparations for the MDG (Millennium Development Goals) Summit in September.

This afternoon, as you know, I leave for Washington, where I will attend the nuclear security summit chaired by President Barack Obama. I learned of President Obama's new nuclear posture review while visiting the former Soviet Union test site at Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan.

I welcome this timely and important initiative. With the new START agreement signed last week in Prague, and the upcoming NPT (Non Proliferation Treaty) Review Conference here at the UN next month, we can see new momentum toward our ultimate ambition: a world free of nuclear weapons.

Nuclear terrorism is one of the greatest threats we face today. That is why I have repeatedly urged the Conference on Disarmament to immediately start negotiations on a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons and other explosive devices. And that is why, in Washington, I will call on all world leaders to come together, perhaps at the United Nations in September, to further advance this essential cause for humankind.

Thank you very much.