The Latest on the U. N. General Assembly (all times local):
UNITED NATIONS (AP) – The Latest on the U. N. General Assembly (all times local):
10:00 p.m.
NATO’s secretary-general is welcoming President Donald Trump’s new strategy for the 16-year Afghan war and says the U. S. leader’s insistence that NATO members increase their defense spending is garnering positive results.
Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press on the sidelines of the U. N. General Assembly’s annual meeting of world leaders that after many years of decline, “we have now seen for the first time since the end of the Cold War a real increase in defense spending across Europe and Canada.”
Trump last month unveiled his new Afghan strategy saying American troops would “fight to win” by attacking enemies, “crushing” al-Qaida, and preventing terrorist attacks against Americans.
Stoltenberg welcomed Trump’s announcement of increased troop levels and his decision that their presence is not going to be based on specific timetables but on conditions on the ground.
On other issues, he said Turkey is looking into the possibility of buying air defense systems from France and Italy in addition to the one it recently purchased from Russia. And Stoltenberg said he is going to Japan and South Korea next month to discuss escalating tensions over North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile program.
7:45 p.m.
The United States, Britain and the Netherlands are calling for reforms to the U. N. Human Rights Council to prevent countries that routinely commit abuses from becoming members.
U. S. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson hosted a meeting on the sidelines of the U. N. Generally Assembly on the need to reform the 47-nation council.
The three diplomats said in a statement that the council loses credibility “if serial human rights violators are continuously allowed to serve on it.”
Human rights group last year protested the candidacies of Russia and Saudi Arabia. Russia was voted off the council amid criticism of its actions in Syria. But Saudi Arabia’s election was a foregone conclusion since it was running unopposed for its regional seat.
6:30 p.m.
Egypt’s president is making an impassioned pitch for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, calling for both sides to take advantage of a “rare” opportunity to achieve the elusive goal.
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi broke from his prepared remarks to the U. N. General Assembly in classical Arabic to address Israelis and Palestinians informally in colloquial Egyptian Arabic, saying they should take advantage of an opportunity that “may not be repeated.”
El-Sissi is calling on the Palestinians to unite behind a common goal and to accept coexistence with Israel in peace and security.
He also is reassuring Israelis by citing Egypt’s long-established peace with their nation which has lasted over 40 years, saying that “amazing” step can be repeated with the Palestinians.
“Do not hesitate,” el-Sissi said addressing the Israeli public. “We are standing with you to make this step a success.”
El-Sissi also is calling on U. S. President Donald Trump to take advantage of an opportunity that could “write a new page of the history of mankind by establishing peace in this region of the world.”
4:49 p.m.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says as long as Iran seeks to destroy Israel it will face no fiercer enemy than the Jewish state, which will take action to prevent Tehran from establishing permanent military bases in Syria.
He told the U. N. General Assembly’s opening ministerial session on Tuesday that Israel will also act to prevent Iran from producing weapons in Syria or Lebanon “to be used against us” and “from opening new terror fronts against Israel along our northern border.”
Netanyahu again called for the “dangerous” nuclear deal with Iran to be scrapped, saying if nothing changes Tehran will follow North Korea and produce hundreds of nuclear weapons.
Netanyahu started his speech to world leaders on a positive note, saying Israel is in the midst of “a great revolution – a revolution in Israel’s standing among nations.”
Netanyahu said this is happening because “so many nations have woken up to what Israel can do for them” as a leader in innovation, technology, and in recognizing its “exceptional capabilities in fighting terrorism.”
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3:33 p.m.
French President Emmanuel Macron is calling President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord “a mistake.”
At a news conference following his address Tuesday to the U. N. General Assembly, Macron said that he and Trump “disagree on climate.”
Still, the French leader called the United States a “historic partner” of France – “now and in the future.”
Macron says he will continue to talk with Trump “in the hope that he comes back” to the climate accord. He called the accord “a moral, economic and social necessity.”
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3:05 p.m.
The emir of Qatar is condemning the boycott that three Gulf countries and Egypt have imposed on his country, saying it fits one of the definitions of terrorism.
Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani told the U. N. General Assembly on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have been trying to destabilize his country by enforcing an “unjust” embargo that includes food and medication.
They began the boycott of gas-rich Qatar in June, accusing the tiny Gulf emirate of supporting terrorism.
Tamim says his country is open to resolving the conflict through dialogue without preconditions and based on what he is calling “mutual commitments.”
The emir also used his speech to the General Assembly to touch upon regional crises, saying that Israel continues to impede a full and lasting peace by rejecting the Arab peace initiative of 2002 and by continuing its settlement policies in “occupied territories.”
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1:13 p.m.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron is forcefully defending the Paris climate accord, telling the U. N. General Assembly that although it can be improved, “it will not be renegotiated.”
In a half-hour speech Tuesday, Macron said he “profoundly respects” U. S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the accord, adding that “the door will always be open to them.”
Macron said the planet “is taking its revenge on the madness of man.”
He said the Paris accord will not be renegotiated, adding that it can be enriched with new contributions, “but we won’t go back.”
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12:35 p.m.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari says the United Nations needs to keep providing sufficient funding for peacekeeping operations, which have been coming under scrutiny.
Buhari address to the General Assembly on Tuesday was his first trip outside Nigeria since he returned from August after three months away for medical treatment.
Twice this year, the 74-year-old president has spent several weeks in London for an undisclosed ailment. He stood steadily on the podium while delivering his roughly 12-minute speech.
Buhari says the international community needs to work together to stop Islamic State extremist fighters from infiltrating into areas of Africa’s Sahel region where “response capacity is weak.” He says the U. N. must provide “adequate funding” and other support to regional initiatives and peacekeeping operations “in a predictable and sustainable manner.”
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12:05 p.m.
Brazilian President Michel Temer is raising eyebrows with his claim at the U. N. that deforestation in the Amazon declined 20 percent the last year.
Temer made the statement Tuesday while addressing the U.
