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Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg

Deterring Iranian aggression a priority at UN General Assembly

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As it happened: UN General Assembly day one

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The first day of debates at the 74th UN General Assembly is under way at UN headquarters in New York. (AP)
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Saudi Arabia's minister of state for foreign affairs Adel Al-Jubeir said investigations show Iran conducted the recent attacks on Aramco facilities and will consider a military response once its investigation is complete during a Council on Foreign Relations panel on the sidelines. (Twitter: @KSAmofaEN)
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US President Donald Trump addressing the audience. (Reuters)
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El-Sisi stressed the importance of finding a solution to the Palestinian issue and condemned the attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities. (AP)
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The Saudi Arabian delegation among the dignataries in the audience includes Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Al-Assaf, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir and Saudi ambassador to the US Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan. (Screenshot/UN TV)
Updated 24 September 2019
Arab News
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As it happened: UN General Assembly day one

  • The first day of debates at the 74th UN General Assembly is under way at UN headquarters in New York
  • President Donald Trump took center stage with a strong message to Iran
Updated 24 September 2019
Arab News

NEW YORK: President Donald Trump took center stage at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to deliver a strong defense of nationalism while exhorting the world to act against Iran's “bloodlust” and rising aggression.

The president called on the global leaders seated before him to join the US in further isolating Tehran, pushing them to use economic sanctions to pressure Iran to give up its nuclear program and stop attacks that are rattling the Middle East.

“Not only is Iran the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, but Iran's leaders are fueling the tragic wars in both Syria and Yemen,” Trump said. "All nations have a duty to act. No responsible government should subsidize Iran's bloodlust.”

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's minister of state for foreign affairs Adel Al-Jubeir said investigations show Iran conducted the recent attacks on Aramco facilities and will consider a military response once its investigation is complete during a Council on Foreign Relations panel on the sidelines.

“We want to mobilize international support, and we want to look at all options - diplomatic options, economic options and military options - and then make the decision,” Al-Jubeir said at a conference on the sidelines of the UNGA. “We want to avoid war. But at the same time we have to signal to the Iranians that ‘your behavior cannot continue’,” he added. For a full round-up of Al-Jubeir's comments, click here.

Also on Tuesday Egyptian President Abdel Fatteh El-Sisi said that a concerted effort was needed to stop militias taking control of Libya and to prevent external actors from intervening there.

The Palestine-Israel situation was also a topic of discussion, something King Abdullah II of Jordan raised during his address, saying that regional stability will always remain fragile if the two parties do not agree, the occupation was a "human tragedy" and that Palestinians deserve their full rights.

To follow how day one unfolded, scroll below...

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21:30 - That is a wrap on Arab News coverage of day one, make sure to come back tomorrow for more live coverage of the second day of debates.

21:00 - It is not just all about the debates at the UN headquarters, there are all sorts of events on the sidelines - and Saudi Arabia's foreign minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf attended such an event, seen here at a joint KSRelief and UNWRA event.

20:00 - French president Emmanuel Macron's turn to address the audience, and he says the attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities "changed the situation" in the Middle East. He adds that the time is now for the US and Iran to pursue new negotiations, and it must include the JCPOA nuclear deal parties and other regional nations.

19:20 - Saudi Arabia's Al-Jubeir is speaking on the sidelines of the UNGA with the Council on Foreign Relations and is speaking about Iran's involvement in the Saudi Aramco attacks, saying investigations show the weapons used originated from Iran. He also said the Islamic Republic is suffering under US sanctions.

He said the Arab coalition is fighting in Yemen to stabilize the region and to prevent the Houthis taking full control and the spread other militia affiliated to Iran.

Al-Jubeir also raised the issue of Qatar's funding of terrorist groups, saying that although the state was a neighbor it had to alter its policies of funding malign groups in the region which started in 1996. He also said Saudi Arabia was constantly strengthening its defense systems and had stopped hundreds of drones from attacking the Kingdom. 

18:40 - Jordan's King Abdullah II uses his address to the audience to highlight the plight of the Palestinian people and expresses his wish for a peaceful solution between Palestine and Israel, adding the occupation is an ongoing "human tragedy" - urging the global community to allow Palestinians to get their full rights.

18:20 - While Bolivia's president speaks and we wait for Jordan's King Abdullah II, some of the leaders and dignitaries have broken for a lunch break, with Secretary General Guterres dining with Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel...

17:40 - Read Arab News columnist Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg's thoughts on why deterring Iranian aggression is a priority at UN General Assembly...

Opinion

This section contains relevant reference points, placed in (Opinion field)

17:00 - As the presidents of Nigeria and Maldives speak, and we await an address from Jordan's King Abdullah II later this afternoon, you can read more Arab News stories from the UN General Assembly 2019, including analysis on the US and Iran appearing to be on a collision course at UN.

READ MORE: Trump calls on world to stand up to 'Iran's bloodlust'

Protesters urge Trump to reject compromise with Iran

16:20 - Next to address the General Assembly is Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who uses his address to remind them of the humanitarian cost of Syria's civil war and called for an end to the nearly nine-year-old war, adding that many of the 3.6 million asylum seekers residing in Turkey are Syrian.

16:15 - El-Sisi stresses the importance of finding a solution to the Palestinian issue, with its own state and East Jeruslaem as its capital. Also condemns the attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities, reiterating the need for nations to combat terrorism and extremism through tolerance and dialogue.

15:55 - Next to speak is Egyptian president El-Sisi, who arrived earlier at the UN Headquarters...

15:30 - Donald Trump uses part of his address to urge the world community to stop "subsidizing Iran's bloodlust" and says all nations have a duty to act on Iran's aggression in the Middle East. He also reiterates his belief that Iran must not acquire a nuclear weapon, while confirming the US decision to tighten sactions on Iran's central bank and sovereign wealth fund following attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities.

14:55 - US President Donald Trump has arrived ahead of his address, where he plans to tell the UNGA that the US "does not seek conflict with any other nation" as tensions with Iran rise.

14:30 - The Saudi Arabian delegation among the dignitaries in the audience includes Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Al-Assaf, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir and Saudi ambassador to the US Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan.

14:15 - Secretary General Antonio Guterres opens proceedings by outlining the work of the United Nations since last year's assembly. He spoke about the newly drafted Syrian constitution and called the attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities in the Kingdom "totally unacceptable" urging all countries to push for "reason and restraint."

14:00 — Good afternoon. The big names speaking on day one of the debates include US president Donald Trump, UK prime minister Boris Johnson and French president Emmanuel Macron. And from the Middle East - Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and King Abdullah II of Jordan.

(With Agencies)

Topics: UN General Assembly UN UN General Assembly 2019

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India inks 10-year deal to operate Iran’s Chabahar port

Updated 6 sec ago
Reuters
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India inks 10-year deal to operate Iran’s Chabahar port

  • India developing port to bypass Pakistan in bid to transport goods to Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia
  • Washington says US sanctions on Iran “remain in place,” warns countries they will be imposed
Updated 6 sec ago
Reuters

NEW DELHI: India signed a 10-year contract with Iran on Monday to develop and operate the Iranian port of Chabahar, the Narendra Modi-led government said, strengthening relations with a strategic Middle Eastern nation.

India has been developing the port in Chabahar on Iran’s south-eastern coast along the Gulf of Oman as a way to transport goods to Iran, Afghanistan and central Asian countries, bypassing the port of Karachi and Gwadar in its rival Pakistan.

US sanctions on Iran, however, slowed the port’s development.

“Chabahar Port’s significance transcends its role as a mere conduit between India and Iran; it serves as a vital trade artery connecting India with Afghanistan and Central Asian Countries,” India’s Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said in Tehran, after the signing of the agreement.

“This linkage has unlocked new avenues for trade and fortified supply chain resilience across the region.”

US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel, asked about the deal, told reporters that US sanctions on Iran remain in place and warned that Washington will continue to enforce them.

“Any entity, anyone considering business deals with Iran — they need to be aware of the potential risks that they are opening themselves up to and the potential risk of sanctions,” Patel told reporters.

The long-term deal was signed between Indian Ports Global Limited (IPGL) and the Port & Maritime Organization of Iran, authorities in both countries said.

Under the agreement, IPGL will invest about $120 million while there will be an additional $250 million in financing, bringing the contract’s value to $370 million, said Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash.

IPGL first took over operations of the port at the end of 2018 and has since handled container traffic of more than 90,000 TEUs and bulk and general cargo of more than 8.4 million tons, an Indian government official said.

A total of 2.5 million tons of wheat and 2,000 tons of pulses have been shipped from India to Afghanistan through Chabahar Port, the official added.

“It will clear the pathway for bigger investments to be made in the port,” Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told reporters in Mumbai on Monday. 
 

Topics: India Chabahar Port India Chabahar port

Blinken in Ukraine on unannounced visit to show US support

Updated 16 min 9 sec ago
AFP
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Blinken in Ukraine on unannounced visit to show US support

  • Blinken arrived by overnight train from Poland and was due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Updated 16 min 9 sec ago
AFP
Kyiv: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Tuesday morning in Kyiv on an unannounced visit meant to reassure Ukrainians of continued US support and flow of weapons as Russia pummels the northeastern Kharkiv region.
Marking his fourth visit to Kyiv since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Blinken arrived by overnight train from Poland and was due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to an AFP journalist accompanying him.
The visit comes just weeks after the US Congress finally approved a $61 billion package of financial aid for Ukraine after months of political wrangling, unlocking much-needed arms for the country’s stretched troops.
The aid is expected to flow at an accelerated pace as Washington seeks to make up for lost months while Congress struggled to agree on assistance.
“First this trip is to send a strong signal of reassurance to the Ukrainians who are obviously in a very difficult moment both with grinding battle on the Eastern Front but also with the Russians now expanding some cross-border attacks into Kharkiv,” a senior US official who spoke on condition of anonymity told reporters aboard the train.
The secretary intends in particular to detail how US aid will “be executed in a fashion to help shore up their defenses and enable them to increasingly take back the initiative on the battlefield.”
The last visit by a senior US official was in March, when National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan went to Ukraine.
Russia is “clearly throwing everything they have in the east and expanding the fighting to Kharkiv is representative of that strategy,” the official said.
“But we have a lot of confidence that the Ukrainians will increasingly be effective in pushing the Russians back as our assistance flows in both from the United States and other allies and partners.”
In addition to holding talks with Zelensky, Blinken is expected to meet with his counterpart Dmytro Kuleba as well as members of the civil society and additionally deliver a speech focused on “Ukraine’s strategic success.”
Also up for discussion is a bilateral defense agreement that the United States hopes to conclude before the NATO summit in Washington in July.
“The negotiations are in their final stages, we’re very close,” the US official said.

Biden signs ban on imports of Russian nuclear reactor fuel into law

Updated 14 May 2024
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Biden signs ban on imports of Russian nuclear reactor fuel into law

  • Russia is the world’s top supplier of enriched uranium, and about 24 percent of the enriched uranium used by US nuclear power plants come from the country
Updated 14 May 2024
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WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden signed a ban on Russian enriched uranium into law on Monday, the White House said, in the latest effort by Washington to disrupt President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The ban on imports of the fuel for nuclear power plants begins in about 90 days, although it allows the Department of Energy to issue waivers in case of supply concerns.
Russia is the world’s top supplier of enriched uranium, and about 24 percent of the enriched uranium used by US nuclear power plants come from the country.
The law also unlocks about $2.7 billion in funding in previous legislation to build out the US uranium fuel industry.
“Today, President Biden signed into law a historic series of actions that will strengthen our nation’s energy and economic security by reducing, and ultimately eliminating, our reliance on Russia for civilian nuclear power,” Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, said in a statement.
Sullivan said the law “delivers on multilateral goals we have set with our allies and partners,” including a pledge last December with Canada, France, Japan and the United Kingdom to collectively invest $4.2 billion to expand enrichment and conversion capacity of uranium.
The waivers, if implemented by the Energy Department, allow all the Russian uranium imports the US normally imports through 2027.

Topics: Joe Biden enriched uranium Russia

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Police aim to break up pro-Palestine protests in Amsterdam

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Police aim to break up pro-Palestine protests in Amsterdam

  • The Eindhoven University of Technology confirmed that there were “dozens of students peacefully protesting outside next to ten to 15 tents”
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AMSTERDAM: Police moved in to end a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Amsterdam on Monday after protesters occupied university buildings in various Dutch cities to condemn Israel’s war in Gaza, ANP news agency reported.
Earlier on Monday, a Dutch protest group said it had occupied university buildings in the Dutch cities of Amsterdam, Groningen and Eindhoven.
In a post on social media site X, Amsterdam police said the university had filed a police report against the protesters for acts of vandalism.
Police made sure no one entered the university buildings and asked protesters to leave the premises voluntarily.
A spokesperson for the University of Amsterdam confirmed the occupation and said it had advised people not affiliated with the protest to leave the building.
The Eindhoven University of Technology confirmed that there were “dozens of students peacefully protesting outside next to ten to 15 tents.”
Students in the Netherlands have been protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza since last Monday and Dutch riot police had previously clashed with protesters at the University of Amsterdam.
Students in the US and Europe have also been holding mostly peaceful demonstrations calling for an immediate permanent ceasefire and for schools to cut financial ties with companies they say are profiting from the oppression of Palestinians.

 

Topics: War on Gaza Palestine Gaza US

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Ukraine’s first lady and foreign minister visit Russia-friendly Serbia

Updated 13 May 2024
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Ukraine’s first lady and foreign minister visit Russia-friendly Serbia

  • Although Serbia has condemned the Russian aggression on Ukraine, it has refused to join international sanctions against Moscow
Updated 13 May 2024
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BELGRADE, Serbia: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba made a surprise visit to Russia-friendly Serbia on Monday, together with Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, in a sign of warming relations between the two states.

On his first visit to Serbia since the start of the Russian aggression on Ukraine in 2022, Kuleba met Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and new Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, whose government includes several pro-Russian ministers, including two who have been under US sanctions.

A statement issued by the prime minister’s office after the talks said that “Serbia is committed to respecting international law and the territorial integrity of every member state of the United Nations, including Ukraine.”

Although Serbia has condemned the Russian aggression on Ukraine, it has refused to join international sanctions against Moscow and has instead maintained warm and friendly relations with its traditional Slavic ally.

Serbia has proclaimed neutrality regarding the war in Ukraine, and its authorities repeat that Serbia does not supply weapons to any parties. However, there are reports that Serbia has delivered weapons to Ukraine through intermediary countries. The visit by Kuleba and Zelenska, who toured the Serbian capital with Serbian first lady Tamara Vucic on Sunday, was met with criticism in Moscow. Comments by readers in the Russian state-run media such as “shameful” were published by RIA Novosti.

In what appears to be damage control, soon after his talks with Kuleba on Monday, Vucevic was to meet the Russian ambassador to Belgrade and the two were to tour a big storage facility for Russian gas that is being imported to Serbia.

Pro-Russian President Vucic has informally met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy three times on the sidelines of international conferences. Serbia has supplied Ukraine with humanitarian and financial aid.

Vucic has for years claimed to follow a “neutral” policy, balancing ties among Moscow, Beijing, Brussels and Washington. Although he has repeatedly said that Serbia is firm on its proclaimed goal of seeking European Union membership, under his authoritarian rule the Balkan country appears to be shifting closer to Russia and especially China.

During a high-stakes visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Belgrade last week, China and Serbia signed an agreement to build “ironclad” relations and a “shared joint future.”

Topics: Ukraine Serbia Dmytro Kuleba Russia

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