UN, New York: The UN General Assembly General Debate continued into a second day on Wednesday. Highlights included Yemen and Lebanon's addresses.
YEMENI PRESIDENT ABDRABUH MANSOUR HADI
Yemen's president Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi Mansour used his UN General Assembly on Wednesday address to heap praise on Saudi Arabia for its support of his country during the ongoing civil war.
Speaking on Wednesday, Hadi said: “I want to thank Saudi Arabia — its king, its government and its people — for its continued humanitarian contribution in Yemen. It has taken a leading role in offering relief and the reconstruction of our country.
“The efforts are starting to be felt by Yemenis all over the liberated areas,” he added.
Hadi slammed Iran for its “blatant intervention” in Yemen, accusing it of continually supplying weaponry, missiles and financial support for the Houthi militia.
He said that Saudi Arabian assistance had helped lessen the effects of Yemen’s economic crisis, brought on by disruption brought about by the Iranian-backed Houthis, but called on the support of the international community to stop Iranian interference in Yemen and its financing of terrorism.
Hadi said: “We are not advocates of war. We support peace, harmony and stability in Yemen, but this will not happen by cajoling these gangsters, like some member states do.”
LEBANESE PRESIDENT MICHEL AOUN
Meanwhile, Lebanon's president Michel Aoun used his address to berate the UN Security Council for its "ineffectiveness" due to the misuse of the veto right by some member states, accusing the international community of a double standard when dealing with the Middle East.
"Unfortunately, international political approaches to the Middle East still lack justice and there are double standards in this regard. The Palestinian question is an example of that," he said.
Aoun played up his country's role in mitigating the effect of conflicts around its territory and its efforts to combat terrorism in the region. Aoun also said Lebanon was committed to a "safe return" for the 1.5 million Syrian refugees in the country "without delay."
UN General Assembly Day 2: Yemeni president thanks Saudi Arabia, Lebanon slams West's double standards
UN General Assembly Day 2: Yemeni president thanks Saudi Arabia, Lebanon slams West's double standards
Trump administration labels 3 Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organizations
- The State Department designated the Lebanese branch a foreign terrorist organization
- “These designations reflect the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Muslim Brotherhood chapters’ violence,” Rubio said
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s administration has made good on its pledge to label three Middle Eastern branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations, imposing sanctions on them and their members in a decision that could have implications for US relationships with allies Qatar and Turkiye.
The Treasury and State departments announced the actions Tuesday against the Lebanese, Jordanian and Egyptian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood, which they said pose a risk to the United States and American interests.
The State Department designated the Lebanese branch a foreign terrorist organization, the most severe of the labels, which makes it a criminal offense to provide material support to the group. The Jordanian and Egyptian branches were listed by Treasury as specially designated global terrorists for providing support to Hamas.
“These designations reflect the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Muslim Brotherhood chapters’ violence and destabilization wherever it occurs,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. “The United States will use all available tools to deprive these Muslim Brotherhood chapters of the resources to engage in or support terrorism.”
Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were mandated last year under an executive order signed by Trump to determine the most appropriate way to impose sanctions on the groups, which US officials say engage in or support violence and destabilization campaigns that harm the United States and other regions.
Muslim Brotherhood leaders have said they renounce violence.
Trump’s executive order had singled out the chapters in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, noting that a wing of the Lebanese chapter had launched rockets on Israel after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel that set off the war in Gaza. Leaders of the group in Jordan have provided support to Hamas, the order said.
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 but was banned in that country in 2013. Jordan announced a sweeping ban on the Muslim Brotherhood in April.
Nathan Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, said some allies of the US, including the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, would likely be pleased with the designation.
“For other governments where the brotherhood is tolerated, it would be a thorn in bilateral relations,” including in Qatar and Turkiye, he said.
Brown also said a designation on the chapters may have effects on visa and asylum claims for people entering not just the US but also Western European countries and Canada.
“I think this would give immigration officials a stronger basis for suspicion, and it might make courts less likely to question any kind of official action against Brotherhood members who are seeking to stay in this country, seeking political asylum,” he said.
Trump, a Republican, weighed whether to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization in 2019 during his first term in office. Some prominent Trump supporters, including right-wing influencer Laura Loomer, have pushed his administration to take aggressive action against the group.
Two Republican-led state governments — Florida and Texas — designated the group as a terrorist organization this year.
