Obama reaches out to Bangla prime minister seeking help on climate change

In a surprise move, US president Barack Obama today telephoned Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina and Ethiopian premier Meles Zenawi to seek their support on climate change issues, reflecting the seriousness given by the American first citizen to strike out an agreement at the Copenhagen Summit.

"President Obama encouraged prime minister Hasina to help reach a robust agreement at the Leaders summit later this week in Copenhagen," the White House said in a statement.

This is one of the rarest occasion when a US president has made a personal telephone call to a leader of the third world country to discuss on issues of global importance.

The White House said Obama reviewed efforts by the United States on climate change and reiterated his commitment to make progress on the matter.

"He emphasised his desire to reach a pragmatic solution that encompasses action by all countries," the statement said.

"For her part, Hasina expressed appreciation for the efforts of the US, and noted that 80% of Bangladesh's 150 million people could be negatively affected by climate change," it said.

The two leaders agreed on the importance of working closely with the Danish prime minister to reach an appropriate agreement and to encourage all developed and developing countries to play a constructive role, the White House said, adding Obama also supported Bangladesh's efforts to combat terrorism in South Asia.