UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- The President of the US Senate Pro Tempore urged on Thursday the international community to work together to confront the threat of terrorism.

    Addressing the Second World Conference of Speakers of Parliament at the UN headquarters, New York, he expressed the hopethat the current gathering of top parliamentarians to review what has been done would help eliminate global terrorism and ensure freedom.

    He said he hoped the conference would offer some suggestions concerning the fight on terror.

    "Our world today shares many problems, and these problems cannot be solved without international cooperation," he said.

    He noted that the international community reached out last weekto the United States to its residents in the Gulf Coast when the country was hit by the largest natural disaster in its history. Onbehalf of the American people, he expressed thanks to all nations that have offered aid and support to victims of Hurricane Katrina.

    "Times like this highlights the need for parliamentarians to try to understand the problems which face various nations and the world, and seek international support required to successfully deal with them," he said.

    He stressed that nations must share scientific knowledge and resources to adapt to the new reality of an increasingly interdependent world, and where possible prevent these events likeHurricane Katrina from becoming full-blown disasters.

    "The 21st century represents great challenge for all of us, andas in the past, we can only overcome them by working together. If we do, the next great chapter of our history will be written by free nations, not by those living in fear of terrors," he said. Enditem