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Ban
Ki-moon
Urges
Restraint
By
All
Sides
After
Kosovo
Declares
Independence
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With
Kosovo's
declaration
of
independence
from
Serbia
this
week,
Secretary-General
Ban
Ki-moon
stressed
the
need
to
ensure
the
stability,
safety
and
security
of
the
region,
which
the
United
Nations
has
overseen
since
1999.
"I
urge
all
to
reaffirm
and
act
upon
their
commitments
to
refrain
from
any
actions
or
statements
that
could
endanger
peace,
incite
violence
or
jeopardize
security
in
Kosovo
and
the
region,"
Mr.
Ban
told
an
open
meeting
of
the
Council,
convened
at
the
request
of
Russia
and
Serbia.
"My
efforts
-
and
those
of
my
Special
Representative
in
Kosovo
-
are
aimed
at
ensuring
that
the
political
and
security
situation
in
Kosovo
and
in
the
wider
region
remains
stable,
and
that
the
population
of
Kosovo,
and
in
particular,
the
minority
communities
are
protected,"
he
added.
Mr.
Ban
said
that
the
UN
Interim
Administration
Mission
in
Kosovo
(UNMIK),
which
has
been
overseeing
the
province
since
Western
forces
drove
out
Yugoslav
forces
amid
inter-ethnic
fighting
over
eight
years
ago,
will
continue
to
carry
out
its
mandate,
pending
guidance
from
the
Security
Council.
In
addition,
the
Secretary-General
noted
the
European
Union's
decision
to
deploy
a
rule
of
law
mission
and
an
EU
Special
Representative
for
Kosovo.
Several
Council
members
indicated
their
support
for
the
new
state
of
Kosovo,
including
the
United
Kingdom,
United
States,
France
and
Belgium.
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Secretary-General
Ban
Ki-moon
Visits
Washington
Meets
with
President
Bush,
Condoleezza
Rice
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United
Nations
Secretary-General
Ban
Ki-moon
stressed
the
importance
of
reaching
global
anti-poverty
targets
and
said
a
strong
partnership
between
the
world
body
and
the
United
States
is
crucial
to
achieving
shared
goals
during
a
two-day
visit
to
Washington,
D.C.
last
week.
Speaking
to
reporters
following
a
meeting
with
U.S.
President
George
W.
Bush
in
the
Oval
Office,
Mr.
Ban
said
he
has
been
working
to
make
the
UN
a "transparent,
accountable
and
more
effective
organization"
and
pledged
to
continue
that
effort.
[Watch
Webcast
of
Oval
Office
Remarks]
He
also
said
regional
hotspots
such
as
Darfur,
Lebanon,
Myanmar
and
Kenya
are
high
on
the
agenda.
"There
are
so
many
problems
that
challenge
us
at
this
time;
I'm
committed
to
address
these
issues."
At
the
same
time,
Mr.
Ban
pointed
to
his
efforts
to
meet
global
challenges
such
as
climate
change.
"And
I
need
your
strong
support
as
we
are
going
through
this
year,
a
midpoint
year,
to
realize
the
Millennium
Development
Goals
(MDGs)
by
2015,"
he
said,
citing
in
particular
the
needs
of
Africa.
Mr.
Ban
emphasized
the
need
to
sustain
the
momentum
established
in
December
last
year
at
the
UN
Conference
on
Climate
Change,
pledging
to
work
for
a
globally
accepted
framework
to
replace
the
Kyoto
Protocol,
which
contains
legally
binding
targets
for
cutting
greenhouse
gas
emissions
but
will
expire
in
2012.
"The
United
States
is
the
country
with
the
most
ability
for
technology
and
financing
capacities.
I
count
on
your
leadership
and
active
participation,"
said
Mr.
Ban.
"All
in
all,
I
need
your
strong
support,
because
I
believe
a
strong
partnership
between
the
United
Nations
and
United
States
is
the
crucial
element
in
carrying
out
my
duty
as
Secretary-General,
and
also
in
making
the
United
Nations
a
stronger
organization
in
carrying
out
the
common
challenges
we
share
together."
During
Mr.
Ban's
two-day
visit,
he
also
attended
a
memorial
service
for
U.S.
Representative
Tom
Lantos
at
the
U.S.
Capitol,
spoke
to
Model
UN
high
school
students
and
met
with
U.S.
Secretary
of
State
Condoleezza
Rice.
UN
Secretary-General
Ban
Ki-moon
speaks
at
a
memorial
service
for
U.S.
Representative
and
Chairman
of
the
House
Foreign
Affairs
Committee
Tom
Lantos
on
Thursday.
©
Photo
Courtesy
of
Roll
Call
|
Meet
the
UN
USG
for
Political
Affairs
|
B.
Lynn
Pascoe
Under-Secretary-General
for
Political
Affairs
United
Nations
Before
joining
the
UN,
Mr.
Pascoe
was
most
recently
the
U.S.
Ambassador
to
the
Republic
of
Indonesia,
from
October
2004
to
February
2007.
He
previously
served
as
Deputy
Assistant
Secretary
of
State
in
the
Bureau
of
European
and
Eurasian
Affairs
at
the
State
Department
in
Washington,
D.C.,
following
postings
as
U.S.
Ambassador
to
Malaysia
and
U.S.
Special
Negotiator
for
Regional
Conflicts
in
the
former
Soviet
Union.
Read
more...
|
Check
Point
UN
Photo
of
the
Week
|
|
International
Security
Forces
search
vehicles
at
a
check
point
in
Dili,
Timor-Leste
after
the
shooting
incident
that
wounded
President
José
Ramos-Horta,
and
a
number
of
others
killed
or
injured
last
week.
|
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About
the
UN
Information
Center
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UN
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United
Nations
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Should
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