US President Joe Biden on Tuesday reaffirmed his determination to prevent a wider war in the Middle East amid escalating hostilities between the Israeli occupation forces and the Lebanese Hezbollah group.
In his last speech to the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly as President, he detailed “the challenges from Ukraine to Gaza to Sudan and beyond war, hunger, terrorism, brutality, record displacement of people, a climate crisis, democracy at risk, strangers in our societies, the promise of artificial intelligence and its significant risk.” “We’re — working to bring greater measure of peace and stability to the Middle East. The world must not flinch from the horrors of October 7,” President Biden said, blaming the war and the tragic consequences on the Palestinian Hamas movement.
On the joint US-Egypt-Qatar mediation effort he said, “I put forward with Qatar and Egypt a cease fire and hostage deal. It’s been endorsed by the UN Security Council.” “Now is the time for the parties to finalize its terms,
bring the hostages home and secure security for Israel and Gaza free of Hamas’ grip, ease the suffering in Gaza and end this war on October 7. Since October 7, we’ve also been determined to prevent a wider war that engulfs the entire region,” he stressed.
Dealing with the conflict between the Israeli occupation army and Hezbollah, Biden said, “Hezbollah unprovoked during the October 7 attack launching rockets into Israel.” “Almost a year later, two men on each side of the Israel-Lebanon border remain displaced. A full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest. Even as the situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible. “In fact, it remains the only path to lasting security, to allow the residents from both countries to return to their homes and the border safely, and that’s what we’re working — that’s what we’re working tirelessly to achieve. “As we look ahead, we must also address the rise of violence against innocent Palestinians on the West Bank and set the conditions for a better future, i
ncluding a two-state solution where the world — where Israel enjoys security and peace and full recognition and normalize relations with all its neighbors, where Palestinians live in security, dignity and self-determination in a state of their own.
“Progress toward peace will put us in a stronger position to deal with the ongoing threat posed by Iran. “Together, we must deny oxygen to its terrorist proxies, which have called for more October 7s, and ensure that Iran will never ever obtain a nuclear weapon,” he said, adding, “Gaza is not the only conflict that deserves our outrage.” Regarding “the bloody civil war” in Sudan, President Biden said it “unleashed one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, eight million – eight million on the brink of famine, hundreds of thousands already there, atrocities in Darfur and elsewhere.” “The United States has led the world in providing humanitarian aid to Sudan and, with our partners, we’ve led diplomatic talks to try to silence the guns and avert a wider famine.–
“The world needs to stop arming the generals, to speak with one voice and tell them, stop tearing your country apart, stop blocking aid to the Sudanese people, end this war now,” he stressed.
On the Russian military operation in Ukraine, Biden said that when Russia invaded Ukraine, “we could have stood by and merely protested, but Vice President Harris and I understood that that was an assault on everything this (UN) institution was supposed to stand for.” “And so, my direction in America stepped into the breach providing massive security and economic and humanitarian assistance. “Our NATO allies and partners in 50 plus nations stood up as well. But most importantly, the Ukrainian people stood up and I asked the people of this chamber to stand up for them. But the good news is (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s war has failed and his — at his core aim.
“He (Putin) set out to destroy Ukraine, but Ukraine is still free. He set out to weaken NATO, but NATO is bigger, stronger and more united than ever befor
e with two new members, Finland and Sweden. “But we cannot let up. The world now has another choice to make. Will we sustain our support to help Ukraine win this war and preserve its freedom, or walk away and let aggression be renewed and a nation be destroyed? “I know my answer. We cannot grow weary. We cannot look away. And we will not let up on our support for Ukraine, not until Ukraine wins a just and durable peace in the UN charter,” President Biden went on.
Regarding the ongoing endeavors to overhaul the UN system, he said, “We must build a stronger, more effective and more inclusive United Nations. “The UN needs to adapt and bring new voices and new perspectives. That’s why we support reforming and expanding the membership of the UN Security Council.
“My UN ambassador just laid out our detailed vision to reflect today’s world, not yesterday’s. It’s time to move forward. “And a Security Council like the UN itself needs to go back to the job of making peace, of brokering deals to end wars and suffering
, and to stop the spread of the most dangerous weapons, of stabilizing troubled regions in East Africa from East Africa to Haiti,” he added.
Source: Kuwait News Agency