Tags : Barack Obama, President Obama speech, U.N. General Assembly, United Nations
Update: At U.N., Obama Warns Against Inaction For “Common Future”
NY, New York (AHN) – Before the U.N. General Assembly for the first time, President Barack Obama on Wednesday delivered a commanding speech calling on nations to take a share of the responsibility in keeping the world healthy enough for generations to inherit and be free of nuclear weapons, extremism and traditional divisions “irrelevant” to 21st century challenges.
“I took office at a time when many around the world had come to view America with skepticism and distrust. Part of this was due to misperceptions and misinformation about my country,” Obama said. “Part of this was due to opposition to specific policies, and a belief that on certain critical issues, America has acted unilaterally, without regard for the interests of others. This has fed an almost reflexive anti-Americanism, which too often has served as an excuse for collective inaction.”
“In this hall, we come from many places, but we share a common future,” he added. “No longer do we have the luxury of indulging our differences to the exclusion of the work that we must do together. I have carried this message from London to Ankara, from Port of Spain to Moscow, from Accra to Cairo… the time has come for the world to move in a new direction.. our work must begin now.”
Obama, who is pursuing a foreign policy and an approach with the United Nations that is far different from his predecessor, sought to challenge other world leaders by touting the accomplishments of his young administration.
“Speeches alone will not solve our problems — it will take persistent action. For those who question the character and cause of my nation, I ask you to look at the concrete actions we have taken in just nine months,” he said. “On my first day in office, I prohibited — without exception or equivocation — the use of torture by the United States of America… Every nation must know: America will live its values, and we will lead by example.”
The American President proceeded to describe the progress his nation had made in ending the war in Iraq, seeking peace in the Middle East, working with Moscow for nuclear reduction, confronting climate change and overcoming the global economic crisis.
“We have set a clear and focused goal: to work with all members of this body to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and its extremist allies,” he added. “We’ve also re-engaged the United Nations. We have paid our bills… This is what we have already done. But this is just a beginning… This cannot solely be America’s endeavor. Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world’s problems alone.”
White in New York, Obama met for the first time with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who was elected last month in a stunning defeat for the Liberal Democratic Party, which had ruled Japan for over five decades except for brief period in 1993.
Obama, who spoke before world leaders gathered at the U.N. on Tuesday for a climate change summit, also attended a lunch hosted by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for world leaders. He holds a bilateral with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel later in the day.
The General Assembly, the primary policy-making body of the United Nations, is meeting for its 64th session.
Libyan leader Muammar Al-Qadhafi, who is under fire for his warm homecoming this month for the Lockerbie bomber, addressed the Assembly after Obama’s remarks.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has resisted calls for denuclearization and again denied the Holocaust last week, speaks in the afternoon; as well as Medvedev and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
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