PRESS CONFERENCE BY FOREIGN MINISTER OF GREECE

 

At a Headquarters press conference today, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Greece, Dora Bakoyiannis, told correspondents she was delighted to partake in this year’s General Assembly, a forum where “all countries, however big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, have the opportunity to make their voices heard, clearly”.

She noted that Greece had assumed the role of presidency of the Security Council in September and was aware of the great challenges that lay ahead.  Those included Lebanon and the implementation of resolution 1701 (2006), the question of Kosovo’s future status, developments in Iran’s nuclear programme and the continuing tragedy in the Sudan.

As Greece stood at the crossroads of three continents, it was viewed as a “credible interlocutor” by Governments and people alike, she added.  The thematic debate chosen this month had been the relationship of the United Nations and regional organizations.  The next session of the Security Council, to take place today, would be extraordinary, in that it was the first time in more than 20 years such a meeting would take place.  “We are all committed to peace in the Middle East,” she said.  “Peace at last.”

Responding to a question on the candidacy of the next Secretary-General and whether Greece supported Venezuela in its bid for a seat on the Security Council, Ms. Bakoyiannis said her Government believed that the search for a candidate should be focused on Asia, as it was now their turn.  Regarding Venezuela and its bid, she said Greece would make that decision on a European level and, thus, it was too soon to answer the question.

Answering a question on Kosovo, Ms. Bakoyiannis said that Greece’s position had been stated often and was already known.  Although the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece had excellent economic relations, there was still a need to find a “mutually-accepted solution” on the name issue.  A regional meeting was to take place tomorrow, but it was imperative that any results from the negotiations reflect the most widely accepted solution, which would then help maintain stability in the region.

In response to a question regarding next steps on the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Security Council, she remarked: “The important thing …is the political message to the people in the region that the international community is committed to helping and sparing no effort to bring peace back to the region.”  She hoped that the Quartet would be successful in implementing this international will and urgently find a solution to the crisis in the Middle East.

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For information media • not an official record