New U.N. chief pledges attention to Darfur, N.Korea

On North Korea, Ban said it was a priority on his agenda, especially since he had been deeply involved in Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions as South Korea's foreign minister.

"As secretary general I will first try to facilitate the smooth progress of six-party talks, and I will discuss this matter closely with the members of the six parties as well as (U.N.) Security Council members so that I can be able to do my own role," Ban said.

Negotiations aimed at persuading North Korea to scrap its nuclear weapons ended without progress earlier this month during talks in Beijing among North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

But Ban was mindful of the daunting challenges and the limitations of the United Nations as well as his job.

"Not a single person, including the secretary general of the United Nations, not a single country -- however strong, powerful, resourceful, can address this," Ban said. "We need to have some common efforts."

Ban also pledged to encourage senior staff members to talk to the media as well as member states."

"We (the United Nations) have been underappreciated, sometimes unfairly criticized. So it is necessary for staff, senior staff particularly, to have continuous dialogue with the press," Ban said.

Ban then went to a meeting, closed to the press, to address United Nations staff, eager to hear his appointments. So far he has only announced his chief of staff, Indian Vijay Nambiar, who was a special adviser to former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and Michele Montas, an award-winning Haitian broadcaster, also a current U.N. staff members.