U.N. chief: Mideast problems intertwined

March 19, 2007
United Press International
Original Source: http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/UN_chief_Mideast_problems_intertwined/20070319-114827-1449r/


U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said Monday problems in the Middle East are all intertwined and will not be resolved in a piecemeal fashion.
Ban made the remarks in an interview with Cairo's Al-Akhbar newspaper and gave priority to finding a two-state solution in the dispute between Palestinians and Israelis.
The new U.N. chief said he would be touring the entire region soon, stopping in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and Israel to gather opinions on the various issues, Kuwait's KUNA news agency reported.
He said the United Nations has been instrumental in helping Iraq with technical guidance and support for political groups, as well as providing human rights monitors.
Ban said he hoped Iran would act on a December U.N. Security Council resolution and return to talks about regulation of its nuclear industry. He said economic sanctions were not the United Nations' ultimate goal but rather a return to negotiations, the report said.