U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed next month's inter-Korean summit as an opportunity to build trust between the two Koreas, and to contribute to realizing permanent peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula.

Meeting with Korean correspondents Friday in New York, the U.N. chief said he is confident that President Roh Moo-hyun’s summit visit to Pyongyang would positively impact the political situation on the peninsula and help move it closer to a lasting peace.

Ban also expressed appreciation for the support the Korean people have shown him as secretary-general over the last nine months.

He went on to talk about the global summit on climate change to be held Monday ahead of the opening of the United Nations General Assembly. The summit is expected to draw some 80 world leaders including U.S. President George W. Bush.

The U.N. chief asked Korea to play a role in the summit discussions and follow-up efforts that reflects its standing as the world’s eleventh-largest economy.

Ban has recently returned from the war-torn Darfur region of western Sudan, which continues to suffer from conflict that stems in large part from the effects of climate change.

The visit was made as part of efforts to raise awareness of the problem and resolve regional conflicts that he has pursued since taking office in January.