UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has offered French President Nicolas Sarkozy the organisation’s headquarters in New York as a venue for the international summit Mr Sarkozy is trying to organize on the financial crisis.
"We both agree that there is no time to lose and, therefore, I fully subscribe to your idea of convening such a forum in early December at the latest," the UN leader said in a public letter to Sarkozy after meeting him during a summit in QuebecCity of French-speaking nations.
"In that respect, I am pleased to offer the facilities of the United Nations Secretariat in New York."
Mr Ban affirmed his strong support for what he described as an "expanded, emergency" summit of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations.
"Such a format will allow us to more effectively act upon a crisis which requires a global solution through cohesive international partnership."
Mr Sarkozy is now en route to the United States to discuss the crisis with President George W. Bush at his Camp David retreat.
Reuters