UN boss: I understand protesters

2011-10-17 16:31

Bern - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday he understands the spreading Occupy Wall Street movement, given the frustration that financial crises are causing.

Ban told reporters during a visit to Switzerland that the finance chiefs from the Group of 20 rich and developing nations should listen to the people and come up with "actionable plans" to fix the problems.

"Business as usual, or just looking at their own internal economic issues, will not give any answers to a very serious international economic crisis," Ban said, as G-20 talks were being held in Paris.

"That is what you are seeing all around the world, starting from Wall Street, people are showing their frustrations, are trying to send a very clear and unambiguous message around the world."

Nations’ economies failing

The G-20 finance chiefs have asked the International Monetary Fund to play a bigger role in fighting the eurozone's escalating debt troubles by asking it to propose ways to help contain national crises before they spill over globally.

There are huge concerns that Italy and Spain are too big to be bailed out by the rest of Europe, if they go bust.

The UN chief appeared beside Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey in the Swiss capital, where talks with the Alpine nation's leaders focused on the global financial instability. Even the relatively strong, stable Swiss economy has been hurt by the crisis because of a run-up in the Swiss franc's value that makes exports and tourism more expensive.

Ban said he plans to tap Calmy-Rey for an unspecified UN role once she retires from Swiss politics this year. She is one of 22 leaders serving on Ban's High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability, a top priority in his second five-year term that starts in January.

"I will miss your presence, but I'm sure your engagement in world affairs will continue," Ban told her.

"The United Nations will look forward to working with you, fully utilizing your expertise and wisdom."

Syrian matters

On Sunday, Ban and Calmy-Rey opened the Inter-Parliamentary Union's 125th general assembly of global lawmakers in Bern.

Ban, whose last working visit was in April 2007, thanked Switzerland for donating 50 million francs to improve UN European headquarters and agencies in Geneva.

Calmy-Rey said Switzerland takes great pride in helping the UN promote the use of mediation to end conflicts and sustain "security, peace, the fight against poverty and the protection of human rights and natural resources".

Asked about Syria, Ban said he has urged President Bashar Assad to end the killing. The UN says more than 3 000 people have been killed in the uprising that began in mid-March among mostly peaceful protesters.

"He has to engage in dialogue - inclusive dialogue - and take decisive action, political reforms, before it is too late," Bashar said of Assad.

"It is a totally unacceptable situation that more than 3 000 people have been killed."

- AP