Remarks by the Secretary-General to community business leaders and representative of the Consular corps at the Rainbow/Push Coalition headquarters.

As I listened to Jesse's comments about history coming full circle, I remembered how as a teenager in 1957 in Ghana when we got our independence and the excitement, the enthusiasm, the expectations and the hopes that we all had. I think as a young person that whole struggle for independence had a great impact on me. You can imagine that as a young teenager growing up under colonial rule and the struggle independence begins and your hear your parents and the grown up discussing tactics - whether its going to be possible, when will it happen - and suddenly it becomes possible. So you grow up believing that change is possible, peaceful change is possible, and all is possible and one should dare to make a difference and change. That's a message I try to give young people: keep hope alive, be courageous, dare to change.

When you talk about the history and the impact it has on us and the way it forms us.

On the 20th May [this year] I was in East Timor. Nane and I got there on the 19th for the independence of East Timor. When we arrived, the Foreign Minister came to meet us at the airport with the President-elect, Xanana Gusmao, and he looked at me - jokingly - and said "Mr. Secretary-General as of midnight tomorrow, you will no longer be a head of state." And I said "I will be very happy to give it up." For the past 2 and half years the United Nations has run East Timor and we helped them prepare for independence. So at midnight on 20th May I handed over independence to a free independent East Timor. It was a magical moment. And to think that in 1957, as a young teenager, I watched as the British government handed over independence to my own country. And there I was on Midnight on 20th of May 2002 handing over independence to East Timor. I think you all know the history and the struggle they went through and the thousands who were killed. [...] But what was remarkable was the enthusiasm, the resilience, the tenacity of the people and their determination to take their lives and destiny into their own hands.

The next day I was invited to the first session of independent East Timor's parliament. In the Parliament, the President [of the Parliament] - and I think this is a lesson we can all learn from - said "we have all the leaders of all the twelve parties here this morning and the motion is that East Timor should join the United Nations. Party leaders, I give you thirty seconds each to make your intervention." And they respected it, they spoke within thirty seconds. I had the President of the General Assembly [of the United Nations] with me and I said I think you should carry this practice to New York. He looked and rolled his eyes as if to say " you want to get me killed?"

But we can do work in relatively short time. I must say that I was very excited to see what happened in East Timor and it gave me hope that change is possible, it gave me hope that people can take their destiny into their own hands and assert themselves.

So I'm very happy to join you this morning and I will have an opportunity to say a few more words a bit later.

Thank you very much. ****