General Assembly President meets Italian leaders in Rome

Reform of the United Nations, the global food crisis and rising energy prices were among the highlights of discussions today between General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim and senior Italian officials in Rome, where Mr. Kerim has begun the fourth leg of a five-country official tour.

Mr. Kerim held meetings with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, according to a statement released by his office.

The Assembly President and Mr. Berlusconi focused on institutional reform at the UN – and particularly Security Council reform – during their hour-long discussion. They also talked about the current food and energy crises sparked by sharply rising prices.

In his meeting with Mr. Napolitano, Mr. Kerim spoke about UN reform, the global food crisis and rising energy prices as well. The two men also examined some of the priority issues of the current Assembly session, including climate change, countering terrorism and efforts to achieve the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Tomorrow, Mr. Kerim is slated to address a special session of the Italian Parliament’s foreign affairs committees and meet with members of both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, where he is expected to highlight the need for national legislatures to strengthen their ties with each other.

The Assembly President, who has already visited Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria on this official tour, will wrap up his visit to Italy on Friday before heading on to the United Arab Emirates.