World leaders gather for U.N. talks

(News Today) - World leaders will convene for another day Wednesday at the United Nations General Assembly, where representatives from member nations are expected to discuss various issues.

Leaders from the United States, China, Japan and the United Kingdom are expected to speak late Wednesday afternoon.

All world leaders making the annual pilgrimage for the UNGA are entitled to 25 minutes on the podium to push their agendas and air their grievances on the world stage.

Government leaders and heads of state this week are discussing the Millennium Development Goals, which they agreed to a decade ago. The goals have a 2015 deadline and include a target for halving extreme poverty.

On Tuesday, the United Nations addressed an issue that has been a point of contention this month as Israeli and Palestinian leaders engaged in Mideast peace talks.

A statement from the United Nations said the world body and diplomatic partners urged Israel to continue a moratorium on settlement construction.

Earlier this month, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met for peace talks, along with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. special envoy George Mitchell.

Palestinians have threatened to pull out of negotiations if Israel does not extend its moratorium on settlement building in the West Bank on land that the Palestinians consider theirs; Israel has said it does not plan to extend the moratorium.

The settlement freeze is due to expire Sunday.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is also attending the UNGA this week. On Tuesday, Ahmadinejad blamed capitalism for the world's woes.

Ahmadinejad is scheduled to appear on CNN's "Larry King Live" on Wednesday night.

Source : CNN

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