SecGen says dialogue is key to national unity – UN news item (excerpts)

Arriving in Lebanon, Ban Ki-moon says dialogue is key to national unity

29 March 2007 – Continuing a diplomatic tour of the Middle East, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Beirut today, where he said dialogue and compromise are key to Lebanon’s national unity.

Mr. Ban, who has so far visited Iraq, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, said the trip has been instructive. “I have listened attentively and I have learned a great deal about the region and the challenges it is facing. I realize these challenges are particularly serious in Lebanon, where I trust a return to dialogue and reconciliation will prevail,” he said.

“We have seen how easily political tensions can spill over into violence. All sides would lose from such an escalation. I believe that dialogue and compromise are the only ways to stability and national unity,” Mr. Ban told the press on arrival in Beirut.

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