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MAURICE STRONG'S PRESS CONFERENCE

"UNCED will accomplish a great deal more than most people expect", predicted Secretary-General Maurice Strong. Speaking to several hundred newspaper, radio and television journalists from around the globe, Strong stated that he was not concerned about media speculation that the Earth Summit was in trouble and in danger of collapsing. He said that the same idle predictions were made on the eve of the 1972 Stockholm Conference. Strong also guaranteed the reporters that they would have more than enough story material over the course of the next two weeks. In response to questions from the media, Strong also suggested that they should not view the Earth Summit as a two-week session that will solve all the Earth's problems. He emphasized that UNCED is "a launching pad, not a quick fix" and that this conference will hopefully be the beginning of a process that will lead to fundamental change.