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Tense session for U.N.
Thu Sep 22, 2011 /
World
United Nations With the timetable for a Palestinian statehood bid narrowing, delegates at the U.N. General Assembly added to the tension Thursday by marking the 10th anniversary of a controversial 2001 summit that singled out Israel for criticism.
The summit, called to address the legacy of discrimination and its modern-day manifestations, equated Zionism with racism, prompting walk-outs from American and Israeli leaders. "We are all aware that the original Durban conference and its follow-up two years ago caused immense controversy," said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "We should condemn anyone who uses this platform to subvert that effort with inflammatory rhetoric, baseless assertions and hateful speech." Addressing the General Assembly, South Africa President Jacob Zuma -- whose country hosted the 2001 conference, said the specter of racism and "the legacy of all these ills are still visible." He asked for a memorial to be created in honor of those affected by the trans-Atlantic slave trade, noting that some reparations had been paid to the affected countries. Meanwhile, in what is expected to be the most closely watched speech of the day, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to address the General Assembly Thursday afternoon, just one day after his country released two long-imprisoned American hikers. But demonstrators began gathering outside the U.N. headquarters where the Iranian president is due to speak, marking the seventh time Ahmadinejad has traveled to New York since he took office in 2005. The Iranian leader called his country "a new model for life to the world" on Wednesday and warned that United States might be willing to "hijack" the recent uprisings in the Middle East during what has become known as the Arab Spring. Ahmadinejad also gave an interview to New York Times op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof in which he discussed the dispute over his country's nuclear activities. He said that if the United States gives Iran 20%-enriched uranium, "we will cease the domestic enrichment of uranium of up to 20% this very week. We only want the 20% enrichment for our domestic consumption. If they give it to us according to international law, according to IAEA laws, without preconditions, we will cease domestic enrichment." The IAEA -- International Atomic Energy Agency -- is the U.N. entity that monitors nuclear activity in the world. Many nations, including the United States, believe Iran is trying to create a nuclear weapons program, but Tehran insists its activities are peaceful, aimed only at domestic energy use. The Iranian president is expected to address the hot topic of a prospective Palestinian bid for full U.N. membership, an issue that has largely dominated talk at the body's 66th annual session. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also due to address the assembly later Thursday afternoon. His comments on Israel will be closely watched as Turkish-Israeli relations have hit an all-time low after Erdogan expelled the Israeli ambassador when he refuse to apologize for an Israeli naval commando raid that left nine Turkish activists dead after the group made their way to the blockaded Gaza Strip -- a move Israel says was illegal. The United States has vowed to block the Palestinian application should it come up in the Security Council, but also has been engaged in a diplomatic push meant to head off a scenario that would lead to an American veto. In a move likely to bring criticism from across the Arab world, U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday issued a sharp rebuke to those pressing for statehood. "Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the U.N.," Obama said, addressing delegates at the General Assembly. "If it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now." Israel has described the bid as counterproductive to the broader peace process, and is calling for a resumption of talks to begin in New York and to be continued in Ramallah and Jerusalem. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met with Obama Wednesday as part of the whirlwind of diplomatic wrangling that has accompanied the controversial proposal. The American president, while supporting the Palestinian leader's call for statehood, reiterated a long-standing U.S. position on the need for a two-state solution, meaning Israel must be part of any action, officials said. Abbas is expected to submit the formal request for full U.N. membership by Friday. Meanwhile, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Thursday called on Israel to return to its 1967 boundaries, which would afford Palestinians the Gaza strip, East Jerusalem and the West Bank. He also reiterated his country's support of Libya's new leadership, largely focusing on issues of international diplomacy while violence and controversy over parliamentary seats -- vacated by opposition members -- swirled at home. Last week, tens of thousands of people marched, chanting anti-regime slogans during the funeral procession of man killed southwest of the capital, Manama. But Al Khalifa noted a need for reforms "aimed to provide decent living conditions, security and tranquillity in a society of peaceful coexistence." Also on Thursday, Ivory Coast's president, Alassane Ouattara, made his first appearance at the General Assembly as his country's new leader and thanked all "those who had faith in our democracy." The Western African nation had been engulfed in violence since November, when then-president Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down after he lost the presidential election. Many months of fighting and widespread displacement ensued, until Gbagbo finally surrendered in April and Ouattara took office in May with the country still wracked by conflict."International peace and security continue to be a major concern for our people," Ouattara told the assembly.
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