U.N. Secretary-General in San Francisco

The California delegation of the People's Party of Spain in the United States attended a conference by Ban Ki-moon, the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations. The event was held on July 26, 2007 in San Francisco, city were the founding charter of the UN was signed in 1945.

Over 1,300 guests attended the conference, which was organized by the World Affairs Council of Northern California and presented by its president and CEO, Ms. Jane Wales. Ban Ki-moon explained to his audience that his first trip to the United States took place when he was in high-school, and that he stayed as an exchange student in Novato, California. Ms. Paterson, Ban Ki-moon's "American mother", attended the event as a guest of honor.

The UN Secretary-General started his speech addressing the subject of global poverty, and mentioned that 60% of the world population struggles to survive with less than $2 a day. Ban Ki-moon set three ambitious goals to reform the UN and increase its vitality:

• Implement controls within the organization to make it more efficient and relevant. Two thirds of Americans disapprove of the job of the United Nations, as they perceive a lack of effectiveness and transparency in the organization.
• Get more involved in the resolution of the major political conflicts, such as Darfur, the Middle East and Burma. The Secretary-General has met with the president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, and the UN is getting ready to send a peace-keeping mission to Darfur. Ban Ki-moon sees hopeful signs in the Middle East, although he pointed out that the UN has little margin of maneuver in Irak; he declined to comment on the US intervention in Irak. He announced that he will soon send an envoy to Burma to start a dialog with this oppressive regime.
• Take action to address the climate change issue. He announced that he has invited world leaders, including president Bush, to attend a UN conference on global warming next September.

The Secretary-General cited the recent agreement to control North Korea's use of nuclear technology as a significant accomplishment of the UN. Speaking candidly, Ban Ki-moon told his audience that, although his preferred approach to issue-handling is negotiation and compromise, he is not afraid to make tough decisions when the situation so requires.

You can find more details here.

Gustavo de Arístegui's Visit to Miami

On June 28, 2007 Gustavo de Arístegui, speaker of the Foreign Affairs Commision of the People's Party of Spain, attended the monthly meeting of members of the People's Party of Spain in the United States (PPE-USA) in Miami, Florida. The Spanish politician and diplomat shared with the party members his thoughts and opinions on topics of interest to the Spanish community in the United States, such as transatlantic relations and global ecomony.

Later, Mr Arístegui gave the lecture "The New Economy in the XXI Century", sponsored by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Miami.

You can find more details here.