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GENEVA - China's top legislator reiterated his country's support for the UN's core role in international affairs and calls for an accelerated process of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) during a meeting Monday with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), said China believes the United Nations can play a key role in world affairs.
Wu said the UN MDGs have gained positive achievement since their adoption in 2000. However, he said, the world is facing more pressing and difficult missions to materialize the millennium goals due to the global financial crisis. That, he said, requires the international community to work even harder.
Wu said both the ongoing Third World Conference of Speakers of Parliament and the UN summit on MDGs set for September in New York have listed UN MDGs on their agendas, showing international consensus on the issue.
Ban said China is playing an ever important role in international affairs and the United Nations expects to conduct deeper cooperation with China.
He also said the third world parliament speakers summit was very significant as the UN needs supports from both the executive and legislative bodies of its member states.
The UN chief said a closer partnership between the UN and the Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU) will help the legislative bodies of countries worldwide to carry out their obligations, strengthen cooperation, and contribute to the settlement of such global challenges as climate change and the realization of UN MDGs.
The two leaders met on the sideline of the Third World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in Geneva.
Wu also held talks with the IPU President and the IPU secretary general later in the day.
It was the third leg of Wu's three-nation tour which has taken him to France and Serbia. He will leave for Beijing on Tuesday.