UN chief, U.S. president meet on world issues

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday met with U.S. President Barack Obama and they discussed the situation in Sudan, the Middle East peace process and other world issues.

"The secretary-general and the U.S. president discussed the situation in Sudan, the Middle East peace process, women's empowerment, climate change, Afghanistan, Iraq, the DRC (the Democratic Republic of Congo), Pakistan, as well as the Millennium Development Goals," said a readout issued here by Ban's spokesman.

"They agreed on the importance of women's empowerment for the whole range of issues across the development, peace and security and human rights agendas," the readout said. "They also agreed on the importance of ensuring the UN's ability to deliver on its many important mandates."

"The secretary-general welcomed President Obama's commitment and focus on the Middle East peace process," the readout said.

The United States relaunched the direct peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis in Washington early this month in order to solve all outstanding issues within one year.

Source: Xinhua