    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [February 15, 2008]
    [Pages 209-210]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Meeting With Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations
    February 15, 2008

        President Bush. Mr. Secretary-General, welcome back to the White
    House. Thank you for your efforts to make the United Nations a
    constructive force for good.
        I appreciate your tireless work to help solve some of the real
    humanitarian crises that we face, such as the crises in Sudan, the
    issues in Burma. I appreciate very much your leadership when it came to
    Kenya, and thank you for going to support former Secretary-General
    Annan.
        I thank you very much for the leadership that you've shown in Iraq.
    This young democracy is beginning to gain confidence and make progress,
    and the U.N. mission there has been very constructive.
        I appreciate very much your desire to help the poor and feed the
    hungry. And on my trip to Africa this week, that's exactly the same
    message I'll be taking, that the American people are a compassionate
    people and decent people who want to help moms with--deal with malaria
    or families deal with HIV/AIDS, the need to feed the hungry.
        So I'm honored you're here. I appreciate your vision. And thank you
    for your leadership and your friendship.
        Secretary-General Ban. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr.
    President and ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much for your warm
    welcome and strong support you have shown me during last 1 year while I
    was carrying out my duty as Secretary-General. It has been instrumental
    and very much appreciated.
        I've been trying my best to make United Nations more trust-proof,
    transparent, and accountable and more effective organization. This
    effort will continue. At the same time, with your strong support and
    international community, I've been doing my best to address all these
    regional country issues, starting from the situation in Darfur, Lebanon,
    Myanmar, and also Kenya. There are so many problems that challenge at
    this

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    time. I'm committed to address these issues.
        At the same time, I've been able to again raise awareness and the
    political will in addressing global challenges such as climate change.
    And I need your strong support as we are going through this year, a
    midpoint year, to realize Millennium Development Goals by 2015. We are
    going to focus on food situation and agriculture, education, health, and
    all this, statistical systems, infrastructure of Africa.
        In that regard, your visit to African states at this time will be
    very important and historic. I hope you will be able to discuss with
    African leaders on how to realize this Millennium Development Goals, how
    to help people overcome abject poverty and sanitation, access to
    educational opportunities.
        In that regard, I wish you all the best, that this is a very great
    opportunities. And it would be also very much important for
    international community to sustain the momentum established in Bali,
    December last year, in climate change. I'm going to build up on this
    Bali roadmap so that we will be able to achieve this globally accepted
    framework, replacing this Kyoto Protocol.
        The United States is the country with the most innovative for
    technology and financing capacities. I count on your leadership and
    active participation. I do appreciate your constructive engagement in
    this, starting from high-level meeting September last year and the major
    economies meeting in September in Washington and in Honolulu this year.
    I count on your leadership.
        All in all, I need your strong support, because I believe a stronger
    partnership between the United Nations and United States is the crucial,
    the important element in carrying out this--my duty as Secretary-General
    and also making United Nations organization more strengthened in
    carrying out common challenges we share together.
        Thank you very much, Mr. President.
        President Bush. Thank you, sir. Yes, thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:09 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House.