United Nations –  UN Secretary-General  Ban Ki-moon has urged President Goodluck Jonathan, in his capacity as ECOWAS Chairman to remain engaged in addressing security challenges facing countries in the region, particularly Côte d’Ivoire
and Liberia.

The two leaders met on Thursday on the sidelines of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The Cote d’ Ivoire and Liberia are grappling with fragile security situations and cross-border threats.

Last week the UN reported that it had deployed two units of its peacekeeping force in Cote `d’ Ivoire to the country’s border with Liberia, after a group of heavily armed militiamen crossed over and attacked two Ivorian villages, killing at least 18 people.

A statement from the UN Spokesperson’s Office said Jonathan and Ban also exchanged views on how best to enhance the fight against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and to pursue the campaign on maternal health.

The Secretary-General was reported to have expressed his appreciation for the support provided by the Nigeria Government in responding to the emergency situation created by the Aug. 26 bomb attack at the UN House in Abuja.

Earlier on Thursday, Jonathan attended a Security Council high-level meeting on prevent diplomacy where he urged the world body to redress the imbalance between mediation  and military dimensions of peacekeeping.

He observed that little attention had been accorded to mediation and preventive diplomacy and far too much emphasis had been placed on the military dimensions of peacekeeping, without addressing the root causes of conflicts.

He said the AU and ECOWAS had taken steps to put in place early warning and mediation mechanisms.

“Those efforts must be supported both financially and technically by the international community and the UN,’’ he said. (NAN)