New York  - "Emerging players" have created a new situation requiring the participation of all parties, in addition to governments, to resolve the world's problems, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday.

Ban topped the situation in Georgia on his list, saying that his good offices will facilitate international discussion to settle the conflict between Tbilisi and Moscow.

He cited Cyprus, Lebanon, the Middle East, the Horn of Africa and other problems like climate change and natural disasters inflicted on some of the poorest countries in the Caribbean.

"I think this is a new era of global partnership, not just by member states, but by a galaxy of emerging players on the international scene," Ban told reporters at UN headquarters in New York on the eve of the start of the 63rd annual session of the UN General Assembly.

He said a UN fact-finding mission will visit South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which have seceded from Georgia and declared independence with Moscow's support. He said discussion will focused on the possible deployment of peacekeepers and "other arrangements," which he did not define.

Ban said he was encouraged that the Greek and Turk communities on Cyprus have agreed on pursuing substantive talks on ending the ethic division. He said he has urged both sides to demonstrate "political leadership with a sense of flexibility and wisdom" for the future of their communities.

UN Deputy Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro is currently visiting Lebanon for talks on ending the conflict with Syria and on improving the economy in Lebanon.

The 192-nation assembly will open its session on Tuesday and is scheduled to begin a one-week political debate on September 23 with the attendance of most heads of state and government in the world.

US President George W Bush sill make his last appearance before the world body before stepping down in January.

Ban said the world is changing, requiring that the UN change the way it does business in the past six decades.

"We are responsible to the global taxpayers - and the UN's thousands of hard-working and dedicated staff members - to create an organization that is more effective and more modern ... to deal with the world's problems," he said.

He said the UN remains committed to fight global terrorism, saying that that Thursday's commemoration of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the US marked a "tragic anniversary."

"On this solemn occasion, we stand with families and the loved ones they lost," Ban said. "And you have our firm commitment to fight against terrorism." (dpa)