Annan discusses key global issues with Chinese Premier

Regional hotspots and global epidemics were among the topics touched on today during talks in New York between United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and China's Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao.

Calling their conversation "very constructive and stimulating," Mr. Annan told the press that the two leaders had discussed the China-UN relationship, Iraq, the Korean Peninsula and efforts to contain HIV/AIDS. "I had the chance to congratulate the Prime Minister on the effective way China contained the SARS epidemic," he said.

The Secretary-General affirmed that the two also agreed to continue their cooperation. "We talked about UN reform, the importance of the UN and its preeminent position in international affairs and the need for us to take measures to strengthen the Organization and make it effective and more responsive to the challenges of our time," he said.

This was the third meeting between the Secretary-General and China's Prime Minister. They agreed that the fourth would take place in Beijing.