The Secretary-General met with President Hu Jintao and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Beijing today. He expressed his appreciation for China’s leadership and active participation in the United Nations. They also discussed ways to address global challenges through collective action and multilateralism.
In progress at UNHQ
Noon Briefings
The Secretary-General arrived in Beijing a few hours ago and he has already taken part in a social media conversation with young people through the UN’s “Weibo” microblogging site with the help of Sina Weibo, China's largest network of that kind.
The Secretary-General will leave New York later today for a visit that will take him to China and to South-Eastern Europe. In Beijing, he will take part in a ministerial conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. In South-Eastern Europe, where he will promote the strong partnership between the United Nations and the countries of the region.
The Joint Special Envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan, has issued a statement saying he is shocked and appalled by news coming out of the village of Tremseh, near Hama, of intense fighting, significant casualties, and the confirmed use of heavy weaponry, such as artillery, tanks and helicopters.
The Joint Special Envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan, acknowledged yesterday that efforts to end the violence in Syria have not succeeded so far. He urged all Governments to work together to press the parties and to support the mediation efforts, adding that it is more powerful if the Security Council speaks with one voice.
The Security Council held closed-door talks on Syria today, with UN-League of Arab States Joint Envoy Kofi Annan briefing via video link from Geneva. The Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous was on hand to discuss the work of the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS).
The UN-League of Arab States Joint Special Envoy for Syria, Kofi Annan, concluded a visit to Iran today, and he gave a joint press conference with the Iranian Foreign Minister. He told reporters that he was seeking the support and cooperation of Iran in his efforts to resolve this conflict peacefully, and added that he had received encouragement and cooperation from the Foreign Minister.
South Sudan today marked its one year anniversary with a celebration attended by President Salva Kiir and other senior officials from African Governments. On behalf of the Secretary-General, UN Special Representative for South Sudan Hilde F. Johnson said a lot has been achieved since independence, but more needs to be done.
The Secretary-General is leaving New York about now to fly to Japan, where he will attend the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan on Sunday. He will have a range of bilateral meetings on the margins of that Conference and, of course, with Japanese leaders, including Prime Minister Noda and Foreign Minister Gemba.
The Security Council today passed a resolution calling for sanctions against groups in Mali that are linked to Al-Qaida. Resolution 2056 (2012) notes the increased terrorist threat, and calls on Member States to “undertake measures to prevent the proliferation of all arms” in the Sahel region.