The United Nations is mulling an Arab League request to send a joint observer mission to Syria, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday, amid fears that President Bashar al-Assad's deadly crackdown on anti-regime protesters could escalate.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told an African Union summit in Addis Ababa on Sunday that regional leaders must ensure respect for gay rights, calling anti-gay sentiment a "form of discrimination ignored or even sanctioned" by many African states.
Syria on Tuesday rejected Qatar's proposal to send troops from Arab countries to halt the ongoing violence. Army defectors fighting the regime have called on the UN to initiate military action.
The United Nations tried to step up pressure against Syria on Monday as chief Ban Ki-moon urged action from the Security Council. UN officials also said they would train Arab League observers monitoring the country's ongoing violence.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon both condemned the "excessive" use of force by Egyptian security forces in dealing with protesters, as bloody clashes in Cairo entered their fourth day on Monday.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Mogadishu on Friday for a surprise visit to the war-torn capital following military gains by African Union forces against al-Shabaab militants, who controlled much of the city only a year ago.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged environment ministers gathered for 12 days of talks on climate change in Durban to make progress, warning that "the future of our planet is at stake". Talks have deadlocked over the future of the Kyoto Protocol.
As National Transitional Council supporters rejoiced at the news of Muammar Gaddafi's death in Libya, European and US leaders expressed hope that the country's new rulers will navigate complicated tribal divisions to forge a unified democracy.
Envoys from the Mideast diplomatic quartet – comprising the US, the UN, Russia and the EU – called Friday for Israel and the Palestinians to launch a new round of direct peace talks aiming for a deal by the end of 2012.
Emmanuel Saint-Martin interviews Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations. He explains his conception of international diplomacy and sums up the results of his first mandate. He discusses in particular the UN operation in Ivory Coast and the UN Security Council resolution on Libya.
