U.N. leader tells Bush Iraq is the world's problem

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lent support on Tuesday to President George W. Bush on Iraq, saying violence there was a problem for all countries.

As Bush hosted Ban at the White House, the U.N. chief also welcomed the president's plan to hold a high-level meeting on the Middle East peace process in the autumn.

"As for the Iraqi situation, this is the problem of the whole world," Ban said, promising U.N help with rebuilding Iraq politically, economically and socially.

On Monday, Ban warned against an "abrupt withdrawal" by U.S. forces from Iraq and said the international community should not abandon the Iraqi people, shocking some U.N. officials for inserting himself into the U.S. debate on the war.

The show of support comes as Bush faces the American public's growing frustration with the Iraq war and rising pressure even from within his own Republican Party for a U.S. pullout.

The two discussed climate change, said Ban, who invited Bush to participate in a conference on the environment that he has called for September, on the sidelines of the annual U.N. General Assembly.

Bush looks forward to attending the September 24 event, a White House spokesman said later.

Climate change is a contentious issue in the Bush administration, which has fought mandatory caps on the greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming.

Ban said he was encouraged by Bush's initiatives on climate change at last month's G8 summit, where world leaders agreed to pursue substantial cuts in greenhouse gases.