![Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets with Jaakko Laajava](https://front.un-arm.org/wp-content/uploads/assets/update/20121011/1.jpg)
11 October 2012 — The facilitator of the Conference on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction, Jaako Laajava, Under-Secretary of State of Finland, met yesterday with the Secretary-General to brief him on the preparations and prospects for convening the Conference, which Finland is ready to host in Helsinki in mid-December.
The Secretary-General reaffirmed his strong support for Mr. Laajava and welcomed his intensive efforts, including his participation at a meeting in Cairo on 7 October with senior representatives from the Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States, United Nations and the League of Arab States Senior Officials Committee.
The Secretary-General also reaffirmed his strong commitment to convene the Conference. He underlined the importance of the Conference, which is a unique opportunity for all States of the region to collectively enhance their security. He urged all States of the region to participate in and contribute to a successful Conference.
The Secretary-General welcomed the commitment of the League of Arab States to continue to approach the Conference in a serious and constructive manner, and their hope that this enables other States in the region to engage in a similar spirit.
See Also:
![Senior representatives of Finland, the Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States and United Nations outside the entrance to the League of Arab States Building](https://front.un-arm.org/wp-content/uploads/assets/update/20121011/2.jpg)
![Representatives working on drafting the joint press statement](https://front.un-arm.org/wp-content/uploads/assets/update/20121011/3.jpg)