Ban begins 1st day reiterating making 6-party talks 'high priority'

NEW YORK, Jan. 2 Kyodo

New U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon began his first working day Tuesday, a day after officially taking over from Kofi Annan, by reiterating his commitment to making the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions a high priority item.

''The North Korean nuclear issue is one of the priorities on my agenda,'' the former South Korean foreign minister told reporters after he reported to work at the U.N headquarters.

Ban also explained that he had been heavily involved in facilitating the talks between the two Koreas, Japan, China, Russia and the United States from the outset, and that personally as a South Korean trying to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula is of great importance to him.

''You may understand and it may be very natural that you can expect that I will have much more attention and priority on this issue,'' he said.

''As secretary general I will first try to facilitate the smooth progress of the six-party talks,'' he said, adding that he would carry out discussions with the six-party delegations as well as with the Security Council ''so that I can be able to do my own role.''

In comments to the press before going to address staff members, he spoke of the challenges, expectations, hopes and promises he faces as he takes up his duties as the world's top diplomat.

He also spoke of the world's other hot spots including Darfur in Sudan, the Middle East, Iran and Iraq, as well as his pledge to defend human rights and to fulfill Annan's millennium development goals by setting out to halve poverty and achieve other targets by 2015.

Also very high on Ban's agenda is tackling the issue of Darfur, which the secretary general said he will turn his attention to ''immediately.''

He plans to meet with Jan Eliasson, the designated special envoy to the area, and had already spoken with him by telephone on Monday. He also expects to attend the African Union summit meeting and hopes to consult with the president of Sudan and other key regional leaders.

''By engaging myself in the diplomatic process, I hope that we will be able to resolve peacefully, as soon as possible, on this very serious issue,'' he said.

On the recent execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Ban noted that the former leader was responsible for ''committing heinous crimes and unspeakable atrocities against the Iraqi people.''

However, he also urged the international community to pay due regard to all aspects of international humanitarian laws and further emphasized that the death penalty was an issue for ''each and every member state to decide.''

Expressing his enthusiasm, a beaming Ban also said, ''I am very much eager to get down to my work today.''

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