BELGIUM: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon visits Brussels to meet top EU officials on his first trip abroad since taking office

Record ID: 563114

  • Title: BELGIUM: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon visits Brussels to meet top EU officials on his first trip abroad since taking office
  • Date: 24th January 2007
  • Summary: SOLANA AND BAN ARRIVING FOR NEWS BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE)(English) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON, SAYING: "The United Nations and the European Union have been maintaining a special partnership and the United Nations, as Secretary General of the United Nations, I am very much appreciative of all what the European Union has been contributing to the activities, all the activities of the United Nations." PHOTOGRAPHER (SOUNDBITE)(English) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON, SAYING: "This morning we have covered a wide range of issues, starting from the situation in the Balkans and situations in Africa and particularly the crisis in Darfur, Somalia and Cote D'Ivoire." BODYGUARD BAN KI- MOON AND SOLANA SHAKING HANDS SOLANA WITH REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE)(English) EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA, SAYING (ON THE CRISIS IN DARFUR): "We have the commitment to have a three stage approach as far as the force deployment on the ground. The third phase will be the inclusion of the United Nations people with forces on the ground and we will continue to contribute to that, as far as Somalia is concerned, the African Union has taken the decision last Friday to deploy the six battalions from Uganda. We are going to help to finance that and that will probably be for a duration of six months after which the United Nations may have to take responsibility also." SOLANA TALKING TO JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE)(English) EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA, SAYING ON LEBANON: "It will be no doubt a conference in which pledges will be made for the reconstruction of the country and also political support for the people and the government, that we would like to do and I am sure that would help. I would like to say that it was sad to see that the situation of yesterday of Lebanon when the thing that had to be resolved through dialogue and not through violence or through manifestation of the kind that had taken place for several weeks in the streets." SOLANA LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 8th February 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belgium
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVABGS33HENCPUCUYUHTZVYBULTL
  • Story Text: The United Nations' newly appointed Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has begun on Wednesday (January 24) his first trip outside the United Nations since taking office by meeting the European Union's Foreign Policy chief Javier Solana and talking about the pressing issues in Africa and the Middle East.
    The South Korean UN chief said he appreciated the European Union's international efforts to promote peace and that the two institutions had a good working partnership he hoped to continue and expand
    "The United Nations and the European Union have been maintaining a special partnership and the United Nations, as Secretary General of the United Nations, I am very much appreciative of all what the European Union has been contributing to the activities, all the activities of the United Nations," Ban said.
    He said they had discussed the situation in the Balkans, Africa and particularly in Darfur.
    "This morning we have covered a wide range of issues, starting from the situation in the Balkans and situations in Africa and particularly the crisis in Darfur, Somalia and Cote D'Ivoire," Ban Ki-Moon said.
    Solana told reporters after the news conference that UN forces would be put in place in Sudan as part of the third phase of their commitment.
    On Somalia he said the EU would help finance the planned African Union troop deployment and that the UN would send troops after 6 months if needed.
    On Lebanon Solana said the Paris conference on Thursday (January 25) would pledge financial assistance to help the country rebuild after the latest conflict with Israel.
    At a later briefing the European Commission said it was pledging an additional 400 million euros ($520.6 million) of extra aid to Lebanon.
    The pledge in grants and loans to be made formally in Paris would bring to 500 million euros the total amount provided to Lebanon by the EU executive since last June.
    At the aid conference, Lebanon's government hopes for political backing from his foreign allies and up to 5 billion U.S. dollars in assistance to help ease the burden of Lebanon's 40.5 billion USD public debt -- equal to 180 percent of gross domestic product.
    But is trying to fend off a Hezbollah-led challenge that caused violent protests paralysing the country.
    During Ban Ki-Moon's press conference with EU Commission President, Barosso reinforced the European Union hopes for a strong Belgrade government that could resume Serbia's frozen EU membership bid.
    "Regarding Serbia we have always said that provided Serbia fully cooperates with the international tribunal and former Yugoslavia we see a lot of progress it looks like possible and we encourage very much Serbia in that direction. I already have said and Commissioner Wren as well very often, including in a visit to Belgrade, that we believe that the future of Serbia is with the European Union. And we very much hope that will happen."
    Ban ki-Moon was due to meet with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer later in the day.
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