Ban Ki-moon: Arab leaders determined to find solutions

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon returned to United Nations Headquarters in New York today from a tour of the Middle East and said he was "encouraged by the very active support and determined will of Arab leaders" in tackling a variety of problems from the Palestinian issue to the conflicts in Sudan and Somalia.

"I was able to see the Arab leaders engaging on many important regional issues," he told reporters. Ban, who attended the Arab League summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and also visited Iraq, Egypt, Israel, the occupied Palestinian territory, and Lebanon, noted that with the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government, “the active diplomatic initiatives are on the way: Arab peace initiatives, Arab leaders who are determined to visit this issue again as a foundation for establishing a good relationship and peace between Israel and Arab countries, and particularly between Israel and the Palestinian authorities.”