Ban Ki-moon To Visit Ireland

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Micheál Martin, T.D., has announced that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will pay an official visit to Ireland on July 7 and 8. During the course of his visit, the Secretary General will meet with President McAleese and with Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, who will host a working lunch in Government Buildings on July 7. The Minister for Foreign Affairs will also hold substantive discussions with the Secretary General and host a dinner in his honour on the same day.

The Secretary General has also been invited by the Institute for International and European Affairs to deliver an address on United Nations peace-keeping during the course of his visit. The Secretary General will also meet with the Minister for Defence, Mr. Willie O'Dea, T.D., and with the Army Chief of Staff to discuss Irish participation in UN-mandated peace operations.

Announcing the visit, Minister Martin stated: "I am delighted that the Secretary General has agreed to visit Ireland, in response to an invitation I issued to him late last year. For Ireland, commitment to the United Nations has long been a cornerstone of our foreign policy and we remain strongly supportive of its role and work in areas such as peace-keeping, disarmament, development and humanitarian action.

"Since assuming office in January 2007, Secretary General Ban has provided wise leadership to the United Nations, particularly in relation to such important global challenges as Climate Change. The UN role also remains crucial in relation to securing progress in such difficult political situations as the Middle East and Burma.

"I look forward to discussing these and many other issues with the Secretary General during the course of his visit, including UN reform and the increasingly close and productive relationship between the EU and UN in the area of international peace and security."