UN General Assembly exposes widening disputes over war, sovereignty and global institutions
Antonio Guterres opened the final General Assembly debate of his term as leaders traded warnings over Gaza, Iran, Ukraine and the International Criminal Court.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the General Assembly in New York on 22 September for the final time before his term ends on 31 December. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and US President Donald Trump followed, with French President Emmanuel Macron scheduled to address the assembly later.
The session brought competing positions on the capacity of international institutions to respond to conflict. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said “nobody with a conscience” could close their eyes to events in Gaza.
Trump told reporters that US and Iranian officials had held what he described as a “very good” three-hour meeting. He also said he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were discussing a possible solution to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The supplied report does not independently verify the meeting or the prospects for an agreement.
In his address, Trump called on countries belonging to the International Criminal Court to leave, describing the body as “out of control”. He also said the war with Iran had prevented Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and warned that he could “annihilate the Islamic republic” if no deal was reached.
Cuba’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez, rejected what he called “falsehoods” by Trump about Cuba, saying the United States could not deny Cuba’s right to be a sovereign and independent country. Macron’s address was described in the report as his final one as French president, but its content was not available.
