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This heinous crime claimed the lives of Jordanians and citizens of other nations. Many of the victims were guests at a wedding party, including many children. What should have been a celebration of life became another manifestation of the scourge of terrorism. No ideology, no cause can justify the vicious killings of innocent civilians.

We are reminded yet again that terrorism knows no borders and this very region has particularly suffered in this regard. During the discussions that I have had over the past several days in Egypt, in Saudi Arabia and now in Jordan, we have all agreed that collective action against terrorism is a must. That is the only [way] we can defeat it, by working together, across borders.

In this regard, I renew my call to all Member States to agree on a comprehensive convention against terrorism. It can be done and it is essential that this convention be adopted by the end of the year. It is a tool that will strengthen international cooperation in this effort to fight terrorism. And if this convention is adopted by the end of the year, it will be a wonderful New Year's gift to the peoples of the world.

We also had a chance to discuss many issues with the Foreign Minister, including Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, the Middle East peace process, as well as UN reform. I also had the opportunity to thank the people and government of Jordan for the excellent cooperation that exists between them and the UN, and all the UN agencies working here, and also for the fact that they have facilitated our work in Iraq by providing facilities here for us to back-stop those staff members that are working in Iraq.

So, thank you very much.

I'll take your questions.

Q: What can the United Nations do to help Jordan in the fight against terrorism? Do you think these conventions can help?

SG: Â鶹´«Ã½ has played an active role. The Security Council of the United Nations has been very active. In fact, they passed one of the toughest resolutions that I have ever seen, demanding that governments cooperate across national borders; asking them not to give financial support, logistics support or a haven to terrorist groups. In fact, we also have lists of terrorists established by the Security Council and those who are on the lists have sanctions and measures taken against them. The convention will be a further tool in the hands of the Member States in their fight against terrorism. And, as we speak right now, is discussing a comprehensive strategy for fighting against terrorism that will enhance cooperation among Member States. What is important is that government, and the population, must be vigilant and governments must cooperate across borders to be able to win this battle.

Q: The issues of Palestine and Iraq are not just regional issues, they affect the whole world as well. What is the next step for the United Nations in those two areas?

SG: On Iraq, the United Nations, as mandated by the Security Council, has been on the ground, working with the Iraqi government and the people through the political transition. We worked with them on the first elections, we worked with them on the first electoral law, we worked with them on the constitution and the referendum. I have a team there working with them on the next elections. We also have the capacity to give them assistance and advice in other areas, be it reconstruction, recovery, humanitarian, institutional building, etcetera. We can expand into those areas as the circumstances permit. By that I mean, when a secure environment is created and the staff can do their work freely, then we can increase our staff. The nature of our work is such that we need to open, we need to get to the people and the people need to get to us. If we cannot do that, our work is impeded. Hopefully, a time will come in Iraq when the environment will allow us to expand our activities. On the political process, we believe it is very important. I am very encouraged by the Arab initiative that will bring the Iraqi parties together to discuss the future and attempt to reconcile.

On the Palestinian question, the United Nations, as part of the Quartet, is working with its partners to see how we can energize the process. We had all hoped that the disengagement from Gaza would put some energy into the process and eventually lead to the withdrawal from the West Bank as well. We also named Jim Wolfensohn, the former head of the World Bank, as the Special Envoy of the Quartet to help the Palestinians create a viable economy, but that will require that certain things get done, like the crossing terminal at Rafah, which is being worked on, and other blockages be lifted and they should also be allowed to have connectivity with the West Bank. But, I can assure you that the UN is very concerned about this situation and, as you know, we've been engaged over there for a long time and it is one of the issues, as I said, that I discussed with the Foreign Minister. We will work with the parties to find a solution.

Q: What is your comment on the speech by President Assad?

SG: I was encouraged. I was encouraged that he said in the speech that he will cooperate with the UN investigation. I think that is essential and it is good for Syria to cooperate. It is good for the region and the international system. So, I am happy that he did indicate that he will cooperate.

Q: A number of Jordanians have been named by the Volcker commission. Could they be prosecuted by the International Court? Do you think the nuclear discussions between the Europeans and the Iranians can be restarted?

SG: The Volcker committee, the independent investigative committee, issued five reports, and listed names of individuals and companies that have been involved in the operations. That report, the work of the Volcker committee, is a fact-finding exercise. It is administrative in nature, it is not judicial. He has put out the information and it is up to individual governments to follow up, and some are already following up and taking whatever actions they may deem necessary or look further into the issues and determine if there is any further action is to taken. So the question of international court is not posed.

On the question of the nuclear issue, I hope that the Iranians and European three, or four if you count [EU Foreign and Security Policy High Representative Javier] Solana, will resume. But of course to do that there must be flexibility and there must be a sense that it is going somewhere [inaudible] Iran has indicated it is willing to negotiate. The Europeans have also made it clear they prefer negotiations as a means of solving the problem and, of course, if you are going to go to the negotiations to solve the problem there should be no fait accomplit that may impact on the negotiations.

Q: How do you see the movement of political freedom in the region, along with the consequences of the invasion of Iraq which is worsening the stability in the region? And could that be a cause for terrorism we see today?

SG: I think in terms of political freedom and political transition, I see some movement on that in the region. You just recently had [legislative] elections in Egypt. I just came from Egypt and I can see what is happening. I know the efforts the King is making in Saudi Arabia, and the changes that are taking place here. Obviously reform can always be faster. But societies have to determine the pace of change and the pace of reform. And these changes have to be home grown. It is not something that can be imposed from the outside –outsiders can assist you but the responsibility belongs to the government and the people concerned. Of course, there are universal values that we all promote, and that we will continue to promote. Whether it's the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or the values enshrined in the UN charter, where we need to make sure that every man and women is not denied their individual rights and their human dignity is respected. Obviously, when you raise a question of freedom and terrorism, I don't think that you should make that direct link. We have had terrorism in societies that are quite free, in societies which can even be considered 'model democracies.' So when looking for the root causes of terrorism, I don't think freedoms [inaudible] of course when people are oppressed, when they are desperate, when they are miserable and see no way out they become easy prey and easy recruiting victims of people who resort to these kinds of crimes. And of course, there are people who use terrorism for political means.

Q: Can you give us more details on the terrorism convention to be adopted by the end of the year.

SG: There are already twelve existing agreements on terrorism. The thirteenth agreement will plug gaps in the existing legal framework and would further encourage cooperation across international borders. In addition to this convention they are working on, the Member States and the General Assembly are also [looking] at a complete strategy for fighting terrorism that all the countries will cooperate in and work to, not only eliminate terrorism in the long term, but in the immediate deny them the opportunities that they may have to commit atrocities.