The Secretary-General warmly welcomes the interim agreement that has been reached in Geneva this night regarding the nuclear programme of Iran.

He congratulates the negotiators for the progress made in what could turn out to be the beginnings of a historic agreement for the peoples and nations of the Middle East region and beyond.

He urges the Governments concerned to do everything possible to build on this encouraging start, creating mutual confidence and allowing continued negotiations to extend the scope of this initial agreement.  The Secretary-General reaffirms his unswerving commitment to strengthening nuclear disarmament and the non-proliferation regime.

The Secretary-General calls on all members of the international community to support this process which, if allowed to succeed, is likely to be to the long-term benefit of all parties.