193 states have gathered for the 67th session of the UN General Assembly to consider 168 issues of international security, peacekeeping, terrorism, drugs, cultural values. Serbian former Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic will chair the session. He set that settling international disputes peacefully will be the main goal of the General Assembly in the next 12 months, RIA Novosti reports.
Jeremic proposed better coordination of the General Assembly and G8, G20, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
The Middle East and Syria will be the key topics. Debates may concern Palestine. Russia, EU, USA and UN will discuss the Middle East problems. Russia, USA, China, France, UK and Germany will discuss the Iranian nuclear program.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said that Russia plans to speak out against pressure on Iran.
The agenda includes talks on Afghanistan, blockade of Cuba, conflicts in Somalia, Sudan and Mali, financing of peacekeeping missions.
The first political talks of the new session will be held on September 25-29, attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon attended the opening of the General Assembly.
