UN says Obama plan to visit climate talks vital for deal

Wed Nov 25, 2009 10:02am EST

OSLO Nov 25 (Reuters) - The United Nations welcomed on Wednesday a plan by U.S. President Barack Obama to attend a U.N. climate meeting in Copenhagen next month as vital to achieving a strong deal.

"It's critical that President Obama attends the climate change summit in Copenhagen," Yvo de Boer, head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, told a news conference when asked about Obama's plan to visit on Dec. 9.

De Boer said the world was looking to the United States to offer a goal for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and to offer money to help developing nations cope with global warming. Obama's visit will be near the start of the Dec. 7-18 meeting.

((For a TAKE A LOOK about the Road to Copenhagen, click on [ID:nLL527527]. For an overview of climate change stories, click [nCLIMATE]))

(For an Interactive factbox on the Climate Change conference in Copenhagen please click here)

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