SG: Thank you very much.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

Again thank you for your warm welcome and hospitality and courtesies to me. I am very much pleased to visit the European Union as my first stop, my first visit outside the United Nations as Secretary-General of the United Nations.

As I have been closely following all the leadership and integration of the European Union and the role having been played, and to be played, by the European Union in the international community, I have had always a deep admiration and appreciation for what the European Union has been doing in terms of peace and prosperity and development strategy as well as the protection and enhancement of human rights, climate change and the fight against international terrorism.

The United Nations and the European Union have been maintaining a special partnership and as Secretary-General of the United Nations, I am very appreciative of all that the European Union has been contributing to all the activities of the United Nations. In fact this is not only for the United Nations, but all the common good of the international community; where we are experiencing a lot of regional conflicts and poverty issues and abuses of human rights, we need to cooperate fully toward mutual prosperity and peace and prosperity.

This morning we have covered a wide range of issues, starting from the situation in the Balkans, situations in Africa, in particular the crises in Darfur, Somalia and Côte d´Ivoire. We have also discussed, as the High Representative said, horizontal issues like climate change and all human rights issues. I am not in the position to brief you in detail. Our positions are on the same page. I am very much pleased to be working very closely with the High Representative, as well as the leadership of the European Union as Secretary-General of the United Nations. Now I am going to meet with the President of the European Union Parliament and President [Jose Manuel] Barroso and Commissioner [Benita] Ferrero-Waldner and other members of the Commission and I hope that my visit this time, 'though very brief, will contribute to our further, stronger partnership between the European Union and the United Nations.

Thank you very much.