UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday he hopes relations between the world body and the United States will improve after President George W Bush leaves office next year.Ban said that he a “good” relationship with Bush, but that “I hope we will have an even stronger partnership between the United Nations and United States” when the next president takes office in January. “I have been watching the debates and presidential campaigns and I think you have very good candidates,” he told the Economic Club of Chicago.
Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are battling for the Democratic presidential nomination. On the Republican side, Senator John McCain has all but secured his partyÂ’s nomination for the November election.
Regarding Darfur, Ban, when asked what the United States should do to further assist the United Nations in Sudan’s strife-torn region, the UN chief pointed to the need for helicopters and other much-needed resources. “I would urge the United States and other Western powers to provide necessary assistance,” he said. “They should really commit themselves when they have been talking loudly to the resolution of the Darfur situation.”