SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS BARBADIAN LEADER, MIDDLE EAST ENVOY

SECRETARY-GENERAL MEETS BARBADIAN LEADER, MIDDLE EAST ENVOY
New York, Aug 8 2007 2:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is holding talks today with the Prime Minister of Barbados, where last night he met with Tony Blair, the new envoy of the diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East, a United Nations spokesperson announced.

The meeting with Prime Minister Owen Arthur will also focus on the work of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the regional economic grouping, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters.

Later today Mr. Ban is expected to meet Barbados' Attorney-General, Dale Arthur, before heading back to UN Headquarters in New York tomorrow.

The Secretary-General's visit to Barbados follows a two-day trip last week to Haiti, where he told journalists that he was encouraged by progress on a number of fronts thanks to the efforts of the UN Stabilization Mission (<" http://www.un.org/depts/dpko/missions/minustah">MINUSTAH) and UN agencies.

Last night, while in Bridgetown, the Barbadian capital, Mr. Ban held a working dinner with Tony Blair, the recently appointed envoy of the <" http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocusRel.asp?infocusID=70&Body=Palestin&Body1=">Middle East Quartet, the international diplomatic grouping that includes the UN.

Mr. Ban and Mr. Blair, a former British prime minister, discussed recent developments in the region and the ongoing efforts of the Quartet to bring about a peaceful solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Quartet is comprised of the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States.
2007-08-08 00:00:00.000

___________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news
To listen to news and in-depth programmes from UN Radio go to: http://radio.un.org/

_______________________________

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/email/