Prime Minister welcomes appointment of new UN Secretary-General

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today welcomed the appointment of Ban Ki-moon to the post of United Nations Secretary-General:

“Canada is very pleased with Mr. Ban’s appointment. He is an experienced foreign minister and diplomat who knows the international arena and the UN first hand. We look forward to working with Mr. Ban on a broad range of issues, from challenges to international peace and security such as Afghanistan, to human rights, to UN reform.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Kofi Annan and to commend him for his leadership over the past ten years. He has provided the UN with strong leadership as it has addressed the complex global issues of the 21st century.”

Mr. Ban will commence his five-year term as UN Secretary-General on January 1, 2007.