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HAVANA, June 24 (Xinhua) -- President of the United Nations General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft on Friday expressed his gratitude to Havana for supporting and hosting the talks that led to a ceasefire agreement between Colombia's government and the FARC guerrilla group.
Lykketoft met with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez as part of an official visit to the island and praised Havana for playing a key role in Colombia's peace process.
"It was an emotional moment for all of us. We want to congratulate Cuba for playing an important role in hosting the talks and helping both parties to agree on a ceasefire and disarmament," he said.
The senior diplomat said the UN will continue to back the peace process and supervise the implementation of the accords reached to end the civil war.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez thanked Lykketoft for visiting Havana for the Colombia peace agreement and said the Caribbean nation "highly values" the role of the UN in defending multilateralism.
"For Cuba, the UN General Assembly is the most important and democratic body of the organization. We are therefore interested in working together for the well-being of the international community," he said.
However, Rodriguez stressed the need for a "profound reform" of the General Assembly that makes the organization more "democratic" and reflects the interests of the majority of nations.
The Cuban diplomat also highlighted the role of the UN body as part of the island's efforts for the U.S. to end the economic and commercial blockade imposed on Havana for over 50 years.
"We will continue to present at the General Assembly the resolution concerning the blockade, which has been condemned for over two decades, despite our recent rapprochement with Washington," he added. Enditem
