International briefs: Moldova

US VICE president Joe Biden has thrown America's weight behind solving a long-standing separatist dispute over a rebel territory in Moldova and voiced support for the country's pro-Europe course.

In a seven-hour stop in the ex-Soviet republic, one of Europe's poorest states, Biden also called for renewed efforts to end human trafficking.

Hundreds of young Moldovan women have been forced into prostitution after being tricked by traffickers into going abroad.

After meeting Moldovan prime minister Vlad Filat, the leading figure in a three-party pro-Western coalition, Biden (above) said the United States fully supported Moldova's goal of integration into the European mainstream.