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The United Nations Security Council today voiced confidence that the new Iraqi Government would help resolve the cases of hundreds of murdered Kuwaiti prisoners of war and third-country nationals who disappeared after the ousted regime of Saddam Hussein occupied its small neighbour over 14 years ago.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today congratulated Pope Benedict XVI on his assumption of the papacy and wished the new leader of the Catholic Church "every strength and courage as he takes on his formidable responsibilities."

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Côte d'Ivoire is taking part in talks, scheduled to start today in the country's east, on withdrawing heavy weapons from the frontline between Government forces and opposition troops in the West African nation.

With hundreds of policy-makers gathered in Bangkok, Thailand, to devise ways to combat graft, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged an international meeting on criminal justice to stand firmly against organized crime and corruption by pushing for adoption and full implementation of core international treaties and protocols aimed at fighting those scourges.

Issues relating to spam, network security and cyber crime, as well as the roles and responsibilities of all actors involved in Internet governance, and measuring the adequacy of existing arrangements are on the agenda of the third meeting of the United Nations-backed panel meeting in Geneva to examine Internet-related issues.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today congratulated Mehmet Ali Talat on his election to the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community in Northern Cyprus and welcomed the "renewed evidence of commitment to a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus issue."

Winding up a four-day fact-finding visit to Haiti, the United Nations Security Council praised the UN peacekeeping mission there for its work and said it was glad to have had the opportunity to assemble the Caribbean nation's political, electoral and human rights parties at the same table for talks.

Ahead of his visit to the region this week, United Nations Secretary-General today expressed his warm support for the efforts by India and Pakistan to advance the ongoing dialogue which the two countries have now declared is "irreversible."

Setting his sights on the United Nations summit in September to review progress on socio-economic development goals, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged Member States to negotiate his reform proposals on the "three great purposes" of the world body in a spirit of give and take and to increase development aid to a long-held UN target.

Urging development ministers not to back away from the projected high costs of providing clean water, basic sanitation and proper housing for the poor, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said that by any measure, investments in those areas were sound and came with high social returns.