SG

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

It is a very great pleasure to be with you today, here on my first trip to Khartoum as Secretary-General.

I am happy to have a chance to address the UN Association in Sudan. And I am pleased to see so many students at this gathering, as well as representatives of civil society. The fact that I am meeting with you this evening, having only just stepped off my flight from Europe, testifies to the importance that I attach to this visit, and to this particular audience -- you in this room.

The Secretary-General takes very seriously the late discovery of potentially hazardous material at the UNMOVIC office in New York.

The Secretary-General welcomes the release of the 19 remaining Korean hostages who have been held by the Taliban for over six weeks. He commends the efforts of the Afghan authorities, and of all those who have assisted with the negotiations to obtain their release. Despite the tragic death of two of the hostages in July, he is happy that those released are now on their way to being safely reunited with their loved ones.

I would like to offer warm greetings to all participants in the United Nations International Conference of Civil Society in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace. Your gathering, organized by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, reflects the deep and enduring desire of people across the world for a comprehensive, just and lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Secretary-General once again commends the people of Sierra Leone for the peaceful and orderly manner in which the first round of the electoral process was held. He is however concerned about the tensions and violence that have been increasing in Sierra Leone since last week. He calls on all parties and their leaders to do everything necessary to prevent the situation from escalating.

It's a pleasure to join you today for this open debate on conflict prevention and resolution, particularly in Africa. Thank you, Mr. President, for this initiative.

I would like to officially welcome, His Excellency, Ambassador [Maurice] Ripert of France and Ambassador [John] Sawers of the United Kingdom who have joined the Council, and the United Nations, as new ambassadors. I am confident that their wide experience they will bring to the United Nations, a very valuable contribution to all the work of the United Nations, including this Council.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the press. It's a great pleasure to meet you again.

As you all know, the UN Security Council last month approved a resolution dispatching 26,000 multinational peacekeepers to Sudan, jointly commanded by the United Nations and the African Union. It came after many months of difficult diplomacy. Now we have an historic opportunity. We must seize it.

The Secretary-General is following events in Myanmar closely and with concern, particularly in light of reports that student leaders and others have been arrested by the authorities. In the spirit of the efforts of mutual engagement being pursued by the United Nations and Myanmar in the context of his good offices, the Secretary-General calls on the authorities to exercise maximum restraint in responding to any demonstrations and encourages all parties to avoid any provocative action.

The Secretary-General was deeply saddened to learn of the human and economic losses brought on by Hurricane Dean in the Caribbean. He extends his sincere condolences to those who lost family and friends.

The United Nations is in close contact with the governments of affected countries and has deployed a team of disaster assessment and coordination experts. The United Nations stands ready to support relief efforts with other measures, including the release of emergency funds.

The Secretary-General was pleased to receive on 15 August 2007 a letter from Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende informing him that the Government of the Netherlands is favourably disposed to hosting the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which was created to prosecute those responsible for the attack that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and others. Pursuant to Security Council resolution 1757 (2007), the Secretary-General is taking the steps and measures necessary to establish the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in a timely manner.