Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou (R) welcomes pupils who handed him around 56,000 signatures of citizens and 2,500 cards of children asking for a deal against climate change in the Copenhagen conference in his office in parliament in Athens, capital of Greece, December 9, 2009. The 20 children were accompanied by representatives of WWF Hellas and the Greek Office of Greenpeace who organized the campaign "Together for Change". [Xinhua]

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou welcomed on Wednesday afternoon in his parliament office 20 children who ask for urgent and strong policies against climate change on the national as well as international level, starting from the UN conference in Copenhagen.

Accompanied by representatives of WWF Hellas and the Greek Office of Greenpeace, who jointly organized a campaign titled "Together For Change" to collect signatures and cards, the pupils handed Papandreou approximately 56,000 signatures of Greek citizens and 2,500 cards from children across the country, which depict their vision for a better future.

Papandreou, who will travel to the Danish capital next week to head the Greek delegation, thanked the children for their drawings, pledging that Greece will contribute to the efforts for reaching an ambitious agreement in Copenhagen.

"Our children actually require us not to undermine their future. The Prime Minister seems to share their anxieties and we hope he will keep them in mind in the difficult negotiations in Copenhagen," said Dimitris Karavellas, director of WWF Greece.

"Climate change needs to stop now and the Copenhagen conference is the opportunity. The Prime Minister received with great interest the signatures of citizens, and the cards of children who ask for a humane and safe planet," added Nikos Charalambidis, director general of the Greek office of Greenpeace.

(Xinhua News Agency December 10, 2009)