UNITED NATIONS - United Nations Secretary- general Ban Ki-moon did not join the walkout against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his speech on Monday at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky said on Thursday. "He needed to move on to bilateral meetings," said Nesirky, who said the secretary-general's role at the Review Conference was one of a keynote speaker, not as chairman. The New York Daily News on Tuesday praised Ban Ki-moon for urging Iran to clarify the doubts and concerns about its nuclear programme and for walking out of the General Assembly hall before Ahmadinejad began his speech. "Ban took the extraordinary step of leaving the chamber before Ahmadinejad took the podium, in effect joining a walkout by the U.S., France, Great Britain and the Netherlands," said the News article. In this one case, said Nesirky, the praise is misdirected. "We're happy to take praise when it's properly placed," he added. At his press conference on Tuesday, Ahmadinejad criticized Ban for challenging Iran's nuclear programme, suggesting the UN chief acted under U.S. pressure