Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves in a letter dated January 5, 2007 has congratulated incoming Secretary-General of the United Nations His Excellency Ban Ki-moon who took over as Secretary General on January 1.

Ban Ki-Moon, South Korea’s former foreign minister is the first Asian to hold the post in 35 years, and is the organisation’s eighth leader. He succeeds Kofi Annan, who was at the helm for 10 years.{{more}}

Prime Minister Gonsalves described the office of Secretary General as the “most difficult responsibility in international affairs,” but expressed confidence that Ban Ki-moon’s “extraordinary experience” in international relations will serve to continue on the path of his predecessor on issues relating to the Millennium Development Goals and in particular, on issues relating to Small Island Developing States.

Dr. Gonsalves also wrote to outgoing Secretary General Kofi Annan thanking him for his years of “dedicated service” and said that his “astute leadership has significantly contributed to the peaceful resolution of disputes and in addressing the conditions of the less fortunate throughout the world.”