Escalation in the Middle East, wars in Ukraine and Sudan: In view of this global situation, Joe Biden speaks to the UN for the last time as US President – he has a strong warning.
New York – A look back and appeals to the world community for the time without him: Shortly before the end of his long political career at the United Nations, US President Joe Biden warned against resigning in the face of global crises. In his farewell speech to the UN General Assembly, he called for international cooperation – especially in view of the crises in Lebanon, Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan. “Because of everything I have already experienced and everything we have done over the decades, I have hope,” he said.
Biden, who recently decided not to run for a second term, urged the leaders in the room to put the well-being of the people above staying in power. “Colleagues, let us never forget that there are things that are more important than staying in power. It’s your people,” he said.
After 50 years of public service, it is time to leave the country’s fate to a new generation, Biden continued. The future belongs to those who unleash the full potential of their people. He began his speech with a joke about his age: “I know I look 40,” said the 81-year-old, adding that it would be the last time he would speak to the UN as US President.
Middle East: “Comprehensive war is in no one’s interest”
Biden warned against a further escalation of the conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah militia. “A full-scale war is in no one’s interest,” he said. A diplomatic solution remains the only path to lasting security in the Middle East.
The president again condemned the October 7 Hamas attack that left more than 1,200 dead, and pointed to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the violence of Israeli settlers in the West Bank. He urged a ceasefire and renewed his support for a two-state solution “where Israel lives in security” and “Palestinians live in dignity and self-determination in a state of their own.” However, both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas reject this.
The situation in Lebanon is tense. Israeli air strikes have so far killed more than 550 people, including dozens of children. The attacks are intended to force Hezbollah to withdraw from the border area. Meanwhile, the war in the Gaza Strip continues. Thousands of civilians have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Ukraine: “We will not give up support”
Biden also used his speech to call on the international community to continue to support Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia. “We must not grow weary. We cannot look away, and we will not give up our support for Ukraine,” Biden said. The good news is that Putin has not achieved his goal of destroying Ukraine. “NATO is bigger and stronger than ever.”
But now the world has another decision to make. “Will we maintain our support to help Ukraine win this war and preserve its freedom, or will we allow aggression to flare up again and a nation to be destroyed?” asked Biden. Washington has provided Ukraine with massive military and financial support since the beginning of the Russian invasion and is one of the country’s most important partners. President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is also in New York, is hoping for US leadership to mobilize political and military support for his country, for example at the second peace summit for Ukraine in November.
Sudan: “End this war now”
The US President also urgently called for an end to the war in Sudan. “The world must stop arming the generals, it must speak with one voice and tell them to stop tearing their country apart,” he said. Aid for the people of Sudan must not be blocked. The bloody civil war has “triggered one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world,” Biden warned. Eight million people are on the brink of famine and atrocities are taking place. “End this war now,” Biden demanded.
In Africa’s third-largest country, which is rich in natural resources and is rich in natural resources, de facto ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the army he controls have been fighting for supremacy with his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo and his Rapid Support Forces militia since April 2023. The conflict has triggered what the UN says is the world’s largest refugee crisis. More than ten million people have been displaced or have fled themselves – many of them several times. dpa
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