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A8 WORLD NEWS
Monday 23 SepteMber 2019

'Deficit of trust': At UN, leaders of a warming world gather

By EDITH M. LEDERER line of what the U.N. calls a
Associated Press climate emergency.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Guterres has long stressed
The planet is getting hotter, the links among climate
and tackling that climate change, conflict and pov-
peril will grab the spotlight erty.
as world leaders gather for U.N. Deputy Secretary-
their annual meeting at the General Amina Moham-
United Nations this week med said data shows "how
facing an undeniable much we have to do on
backdrop: rising tensions poverty and the other
from the Persian Gulf to Af- goals." The U.N. message,
ghanistan and increasing she said, is simple: "It's time
nationalism, inequality and to ratchet up the action
intolerance. that we need to have at
Growing fear of military ac- the country level."
tion, especially in response Though the summit meet-
to recent attacks on Saudi ings are public, much of
oil installations that are the business of the high-
key to world energy sup- level week takes place be-
plies, hangs over this year's hind closed doors. Accord-
General Assembly gather- People walk along a plaza at United Nations Headquarters Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. ing to U.N. spokesman Ste-
ing. That unease is exac- Associated Press phane Dujarric, there were
erbated by global con- 630 requests for meetings
flicts and crises from Syria the perilous state of peace peace," Guterres said. "This and other global crises. On in the United Nations. Hun-
and Yemen to Venezuela, and security. is the moment to cool ten- global warming, the Trump dreds of other one-on-one
from disputes between Is- Other countries will be rep- sions." administration remains at and small-group meetings
rael and the Palestinians to resented by ministers and Whether that happens re- odds with many countries. will take place at hotels, at
the Pakistan-India standoff vice presidents — except mains to be seen. Many This year, the U.N. has U.N. missions and at lunch-
over Kashmir. Afghanistan, whose lead- diplomats aren't optimistic. stocked the agenda with es and dinners.
All eyes will be watching ers are in a hotly contest- "It's a challenging time for a "Youth Climate Summit" Indian U.N. Ambassador
presidents Donald Trump ed presidential campaign the United Nations," said ahead of a full-on climate Syed Akbaruddin said, for
of the United States and ahead of Sept. 28 elec- China's U.N. ambassador, summit for world leaders on example, that Prime Minis-
Hassan Rouhani of Iran, tions, and North Korea, Zhang Jun, whose nation Monday. That's all happen- ter Narendra Modi and For-
whose countries are at the which downgraded its rep- is embroiled in a protract- ing before the leaders hold eign Minister Subrahman-
forefront of escalating ten- resentation from a minister ed dispute with the United their annual meeting in the yam Jaishankar will spend
sions, to see if they can re- to, likely, its U.N. ambassa- States over tariffs. "We are horseshoe-shaped General at least half an hour with
duce fears of a confronta- dor. Saudi Arabian Crown faced with rising of unilat- Assembly hall starting Tues- presidents, prime ministers
tion that could impact the Prince Mohammed bin eralism, protectionism, and day morning. or foreign ministers of about
Mideast and far beyond. Salman and Israeli Prime we are faced with global Guterres will give his state- 75 countries as part of the
Whether the two will even Minister Benjamin Netan- challenges like climate of-the-world address at the country's "much more in-
meet remains in serious yahu canceled plans to at- change, like terrorism, like opening, immediately fol- tensive" engagement.
doubt. tend and are sending min- cybersecurity." lowed by speeches from On the key issue of a pos-
"Our fraying world needs isters. "More importantly," he said, Trump and other leaders sible meeting between
international cooperation Last week, Guterres repeat- "we are faced with a defi- including the presidents of Modi and Pakistani Prime
more than ever, but sim- ed warnings that "tensions cit of trust." Brazil, Egypt and Turkey. Minister Imran Khan to dis-
ply saying it will not make are boiling over." The world, As the world's second-larg- Iran's Rouhani is scheduled cuss the Aug. 5 decision by
it happen," U.N. Secretary- he said, "is at a critical mo- est economy and a mem- to address the assembly Modi's Hindu nationalist-led
General Antonio Guterres ment on several fronts — ber of the U.N. Security Wednesday morning. government to strip dis-
said. "Let's face it: We have the climate emergency, ris- Council, "China firmly de- The United Nations is also puted Jammu and Kash-
no time to lose." ing inequality, an increase fends multilateralism, and holding four other summit mir of semi-autonomy and
This year's General Assem- in hatred and intolerance China firmly supports the meetings — on universal statehood, Akbaruddi said:
bly session, which starts as well as an alarming num- United Nations," Zhang said health coverage, prog- "There has to be an en-
Tuesday and ends Sept. 30, ber of peace and security Friday. ress on the 17 U.N. goals abling environment before
has attracted world lead- challenges." But divisions among the to combat poverty and leaders meet."
ers from 136 of the 193 U.N. With so many monarchs, five council members — preserve the environment, "Today the talk that is em-
member nations. That large presidents and prime min- the U.S., Russia, China, Brit- new ways to finance eco- anating from Pakistan in
turnout reflects a growing isters at the U.N. this year, ain and France — have nomic development, and certainly not conducive
global focus on address- "we have a chance to paralyzed action on the the situation of developing to that enabling environ-
ing climate change and advance diplomacy for eight-year conflict in Syria island nations on the front ment," he said.q