- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 210
Bush calls on world leaders to tackle terrorism
CTV.ca News Staff
U.S. President George Bush has called on the world's leaders to "put the terrorists on notice" by tackling problems that might incite deadly attacks.
Bush was addressing more than 160 presidents, prime ministers and kings gathered for the United Nations World Summit in New York.
"There can be no safety in looking away or seeking the quiet life by ignoring the hardship and oppression of others," Bush said.
"Either hope will spread or violence will spread, and we must take the side of hope," he added, before thanking nations for offers of assistance in the wake of hurricane Katrina.
Bush spoke after UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed the summit, saying there was one area where the UN was not doing enough.
"Our biggest challenge and our biggest failing is on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament," Annan said.
"Twice this year... we have allowed posturing to get in the way of resolves. This is inexcusable."
Earlier today it emerged that world leaders gathering for the 60th anniversary UN summit would not be adopting the ambitious agenda that Annan envisioned to tackle poverty and reform the organisation.
Instead, the more than 160 presidents, prime ministers and monarchs will have before them a 35-page document that has been repeatedly watered down during bitter and divisive negotiations to win support from all 191 UN member states.
Canada's foreign affairs minister Pierre Pettigrew told CTV's Canada AM that the proposed declaration "does not meet what we had hoped for."
Late Tuesday Annan acknowledged that some critics would judge the deal, which will be endorsed by world leaders on Friday, to be a failure.
"They'll be wrong," Annan said. "We didn't achieve everything that we wanted, but we have got quite a lot of the proposals that we put forward."
"The good news is that we do have an outcome document."
In order to reach a deal, negotiators were forced to drop many of the proposals that Annan suggested in his original blueprint.
Leaders were unable to agree on a definition of terrorism, or to replace the discredited human-rights commission with a more effective body.
Nuclear proliferation and disarmament were dropped from the compromise document altogether, something which Annan called "a real disgrace."
And attempts to reform the United Nations, a key U.S. goal shared by allies such as Canada, resulted in just modest changes that were described by U.S. Ambassador John Bolton as "a first step."
The document did express resolve to create a Human Rights Council to replace the discredited Human Rights Commission, but left the details to the General Assembly.
Its major achievements were the creation of a new Peacebuilding Commission to help countries emerging from conflict and acceptance by all UN members of the collective international responsibility to protect people from genocide, war crimes and ethnic cleansing.
Pettigrew said he had "mixed feelings" about the document's proposals.
"I'm certainly disappointed we don't have the Human Rights Council," he told CTV.
"However, it is in the work plan for the next year."
Pettigrew said he would be having several meetings with his Iranian counterparts to push forward the nuclear proliferation agenda.
"Iran will have to respect the nuclear proliferation treaty," Pettigrew added.
"It will have to respect its international obligations, it has not done so in the past."
Oxfam's Nicola Reindorp said there were some 'spoilers' at the summit.
"Leaders will arrive to find that Cuba, Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, Syria, the United States and Venezuela have held the summit hostage," she said.
"There is very little to celebrate in the latest UN Summit outcome document," she said in a statement. "We wanted a bold agenda to tackle poverty but instead we have a brochure showcasing past commitments."
Prime Minister Paul Martin is set to hold a series of bilateral talks Wednesday with world leaders at the summit.
Martin is due to meet with Jordan's King Abdullah, Haitian President Boniface Alexander, South African President Thabo Mbeki and chairman of the African Union Olusegon Obasanjo.
The prime minister had dinner Tuesday night with Mexican President Vincente Fox, following a reception hosted by George Bush.
The U.S. president will speak today and is expected to thank dozens of countries that offered help and sympathy in the hurricane Katrina disaster.
*end*
Is anyone surprised in the least that the UN were not able to come to any solid agreements here? They call for a revamping of the UN, but how about we just start a new, fresh organisation and try this again? The League of Nations didn't work.......One thing for certain is that there is NOTHING United about the nations participating politically or militarily in the UN.
CTV.ca News Staff
U.S. President George Bush has called on the world's leaders to "put the terrorists on notice" by tackling problems that might incite deadly attacks.
Bush was addressing more than 160 presidents, prime ministers and kings gathered for the United Nations World Summit in New York.
"There can be no safety in looking away or seeking the quiet life by ignoring the hardship and oppression of others," Bush said.
"Either hope will spread or violence will spread, and we must take the side of hope," he added, before thanking nations for offers of assistance in the wake of hurricane Katrina.
Bush spoke after UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed the summit, saying there was one area where the UN was not doing enough.
"Our biggest challenge and our biggest failing is on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament," Annan said.
"Twice this year... we have allowed posturing to get in the way of resolves. This is inexcusable."
Earlier today it emerged that world leaders gathering for the 60th anniversary UN summit would not be adopting the ambitious agenda that Annan envisioned to tackle poverty and reform the organisation.
Instead, the more than 160 presidents, prime ministers and monarchs will have before them a 35-page document that has been repeatedly watered down during bitter and divisive negotiations to win support from all 191 UN member states.
Canada's foreign affairs minister Pierre Pettigrew told CTV's Canada AM that the proposed declaration "does not meet what we had hoped for."
Late Tuesday Annan acknowledged that some critics would judge the deal, which will be endorsed by world leaders on Friday, to be a failure.
"They'll be wrong," Annan said. "We didn't achieve everything that we wanted, but we have got quite a lot of the proposals that we put forward."
"The good news is that we do have an outcome document."
In order to reach a deal, negotiators were forced to drop many of the proposals that Annan suggested in his original blueprint.
Leaders were unable to agree on a definition of terrorism, or to replace the discredited human-rights commission with a more effective body.
Nuclear proliferation and disarmament were dropped from the compromise document altogether, something which Annan called "a real disgrace."
And attempts to reform the United Nations, a key U.S. goal shared by allies such as Canada, resulted in just modest changes that were described by U.S. Ambassador John Bolton as "a first step."
The document did express resolve to create a Human Rights Council to replace the discredited Human Rights Commission, but left the details to the General Assembly.
Its major achievements were the creation of a new Peacebuilding Commission to help countries emerging from conflict and acceptance by all UN members of the collective international responsibility to protect people from genocide, war crimes and ethnic cleansing.
Pettigrew said he had "mixed feelings" about the document's proposals.
"I'm certainly disappointed we don't have the Human Rights Council," he told CTV.
"However, it is in the work plan for the next year."
Pettigrew said he would be having several meetings with his Iranian counterparts to push forward the nuclear proliferation agenda.
"Iran will have to respect the nuclear proliferation treaty," Pettigrew added.
"It will have to respect its international obligations, it has not done so in the past."
Oxfam's Nicola Reindorp said there were some 'spoilers' at the summit.
"Leaders will arrive to find that Cuba, Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, Syria, the United States and Venezuela have held the summit hostage," she said.
"There is very little to celebrate in the latest UN Summit outcome document," she said in a statement. "We wanted a bold agenda to tackle poverty but instead we have a brochure showcasing past commitments."
Prime Minister Paul Martin is set to hold a series of bilateral talks Wednesday with world leaders at the summit.
Martin is due to meet with Jordan's King Abdullah, Haitian President Boniface Alexander, South African President Thabo Mbeki and chairman of the African Union Olusegon Obasanjo.
The prime minister had dinner Tuesday night with Mexican President Vincente Fox, following a reception hosted by George Bush.
The U.S. president will speak today and is expected to thank dozens of countries that offered help and sympathy in the hurricane Katrina disaster.
*end*
Is anyone surprised in the least that the UN were not able to come to any solid agreements here? They call for a revamping of the UN, but how about we just start a new, fresh organisation and try this again? The League of Nations didn't work.......One thing for certain is that there is NOTHING United about the nations participating politically or militarily in the UN.
