Afghanistan on agenda as PM and Ban Ki-moon meet

03 Nov 2009

Prime Minister and UN Secretary General stress the need for a corruption free government in Afghanistan

The Prime Minister and the UN Secretary General have stressed the need for a corruption-free government in Afghanistan that meets the needs and expectations of the Afghan people.

Gordon Brown welcomed Ban Ki-moon to Downing Street shortly after the Secretary General’s visit to Afghanistan, where he met newly-elected President Hamid Karzai.

The PM said he looked forward to further announcements from President Karzai on what he will do to tackle corruption in Afghanistan and build a government with the best talent.

“We want a corruption-free government, we want an inclusive government and we want a government that will tackle the problems of bringing economic prosperity to the Afghan people.”

Ban Ki-moon said he had good meetings with both President Karzai and Presidential candidate Dr Abdullah Abdullah during his trip to Kabul.

“I urged [President Karzai] to take all necessary measures, first of all to meet the expectations of the Afghan government, Afghan people and the international community.”

He also thanked the UK for its support in the “common efforts to bring peace and stability” to the region.

The PM and Ban Ki-moon also discussed climate change, Europe and Burma during their meeting at Downing Street.