United Nations Radio

Following his surprise visit to Kabul, Afghanistan, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made a stop in London, where he met with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

SG Ban Ki-moon and Gordon Brown

Among the topics they discussed was the political situation in Afghanistan. The Secretary-General said the United Nations will continue to support the Afghan people and their government despite last week's deadly attack on UN employees resulting in five deaths.

Mr. Ban said he met with President Hamid Karzai and political leader Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and urged both to continue to work to bring peace, stability, and prosperity to their country. The UN Chief said now that President Karzai is confirmed as the winner in the presidential election he has urged him to take all necessary measures to effectively lead his country.

"First of all, to meet the expectations of Afghan government, Afghan people and international community who have been making a great contribution and assistance, expecting that Afghan people can enjoy genuine freedom, and democracy, and stability, and prosperity. That will include ensuring good governance, including the eradication of corruptive practices prevalent in Afghanistan, and also controlling the drug trafficking and forming a unity government with experienced ministers and government officials and reaching out to all the ethnic groups, and all the people, all political leaders and religious leaders."

At a press conference after his meting in Great Britain, the Secretary-General told journalists he thought a significant agreement could be reached on climate change in Copenhagen, next month. However, he says realistically speaking ironing out some of the details may require more time. The two leaders also discussed the Millennium Development Goals Summit scheduled for next September, noting that there are only five years left to achieve the global development initiatives.

Gail Walker, United Nations Radio
(duration: 1'57")