Activities of Secretary-General in France, 3 June

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Paris from New York, in the early morning of Friday, 3 June, to take part in a French ministerial conference meeting on the Middle East.

Following a working breakfast with the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East, Nickolay Mladenov, the Secretary-General met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.  They discussed a wide range of issues, including the loss of a Chinese peacekeeper in Mali, the Middle East peace process and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

The Secretary-General then attended the French ministerial conference, titled “Initiative for Peace in the Middle East.”  He told the gathered officials that, although they all agree that a two-State solution is the only viable option for a sustainable peace, the two-State solution is at great risk.  He said that the obstacles to peace are clear.  They include terror, violence and the incitement that fuel them; the ongoing settlement enterprise; and the lack of unity between Gaza and the West Bank.  He also said that meaningful negotiations require leadership on both sides with the courage and legitimacy to reach an historic compromise, and the political will to implement it.  (See Press Release SG/SM/17816.)

On the margins of the conference, the Secretary-General met with United States Secretary of State John Kerry.  They discussed international peace and security issues, including efforts to address the political crises in Syria, Libya, Yemen and progress on the upcoming Quartet Report and the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative as a platform for advancing Israeli-Palestinian and Arab-Israeli peace.

Following the conference, the Secretary-general went to a lunch hosted by Jean-Marc Ayrault, Minister for Foreign Affairs of France.

The Secretary-General left Paris to return to New York late on Friday afternoon.