Press conference of MR. Mourad Ahmiyah, Executive General Secretary of the G77 to the United Nations, New York.

The work groups resumed their discussions in the afternoon of the first day of the Second South Summit, in order to prepare the principal document, the work plan and the Doha Declaration. This Declaration will be presented to the ministers of Foreign Affairs who will adopt it then submit it to the Heads of State and of Government for their meeting on June 16. This is what asserted Mister Mourad Ahmiyah, Executive General Secretary of the G77 to the United Nations, New York, in the press conference that took place at the end of the meeting of the work groups Sunday at the Doha Sheraton hotel.

MR. Ahmiya noted first that the Doha summit enters into the framework of the preparation for the High Level Meeting during of the sixtieth session of the UN General Assembly as well as the Summit of the IT Society to be held in Tunis next November.

The objectives defined by the Executive General Secretary of the G77 are:

- The reinforcement of the means of cooperation between the countries of the South in the economical, industrial and environment sectors, in order to meet the needs of the developing countries. These countries must have access to all the necessary means to guarantee the hoped growth as well as the use of all human and scientific resources.

- The necessity for the developing countries to adopt a united position in the framework of the reforms of the UN and to give the priority to the role of the UN Organization in the development process.

- The need to unify the positions of the G77 concerning the report issued by the UN as well as the document issued by the General Assembly. These two documents are currently in discussion at the level of the United Nations.

- The adoption by the G77 of a united stand with respect to the reforms proposed by the UN and their role in the economic development.

MR. Ahmiya noted that the first summit of the Havana had given a great impulse to the work within the group which led to a work program and a political document. This summit notably contributed to the reinforcement of the role of the group on the international level. It equally gave a new breath to the dialog North South.

In his response to a question concerning the positive aspects of this summit, MR. Ahmiya indicated that the G77 is an organization that aims at coordinating and reinforcing the positions of the developing countries in their relations with the United Nations.

All figures and facts have been showing for years that the specialized organizations in the investment and economic cooperation fields notice sensitive progress and sometimes very interesting results within the countries of the group.

Concerning the results awaited from the Doha summit, in the view of the current challenges, the UN official said he was confident that the Doha summit will lead to positive results.

About the British suggestion to mop up the debts of some developing countries, he stated that the Doha summit will address this issue in a direct or indirect way. We welcome, he said, any initiative that will contribute to the reinforcement of development in the countries of the G77, especially if it is not accompanied by political conditions.

At the end of the press conference, M. Ahmiya noted that the ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Non-Aligned countries will hold a meeting, tomorrow Monday, in parallel of the Second South Summit. They will discuss the reforms of the United Nations, the south-south cooperation, the relations between the Non Aligned countries and the G77 as well as means to coordinate between the positions of the two groups.