…Says America Won’t Be Held Hostage by So-called Experts’ on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
…Assures that America Will Not Tell You How to Work, Live or Worship
….Says He Does Not Support OPEC
… Informs that Germany Will Soon Become Completely Reliant on Russian Energy Unless it Changes Course
…Reminds that America Rejects Idea of Globalism
By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – U.S. President Donald Trump sharply attacked Iran during his remarks at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, the first day of the high-profile international gathering in New York.
Trump lauded that a “new approach in the Middle East is causing historic change” during his remarks. “Following my trip to Saudi Arabia, the Gulf countries are enforcing new sanctions, working with us to identify and track terrorist networks, and are taking more responsibility for fighting terrorism in their own region,” Trump said, complimenting three countries in particular – Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar – for their work on the subject.
Commenting on the “heartbreaking” situation in Syria, Trump called for a “political solution that honors the will of the Syrian people. We urge the UN peace process to be reinvigorated. The United States will respond if chemical weapons are used by the Assad regime.
On why America will not provide support to the International Criminal Court, Trump said;
“The ICC has no authority. It violates all principles of justice and due process. We will never surrender America’s sovereignty. We reject the ideology of globalism. America is governed by Americans.” Trump added the U.S. will cut its share of UN peacekeeping budget to under 25 percent.
Trump later attacked the Gulf states without naming them, saying we “defend them for nothing” and receive high oil prices in return. “We won’t tolerate it,” he said. “I don’t like it at all. Not good.” Trump added that Germany will soon become completely reliant on Russian energy unless it too changes course.
“One year ago I stood before you for the first time in this grand hall. I addressed the threats facing our world, and presented a vision for a brighter future. Today I stand here to share the extraordinary progress we’ve made. We have accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country,” Trump said to laughter. “I didn’t expect that reaction but that’s OK.”
Trump complimented four countries towards the end of his speech: India, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Poland.
Trump noted that the U.S. military “will soon be more powerful than it’s ever been before,” adding that “the U.S. will always choose independence and cooperation over global governance, control and domination.”
Upon arriving at the UN, Trump told reporters that Iran “has to change its tune before I meet with them. They want to meet, it will happen. I believe they have no choice. We look forward to having a great relationship but it won’t happen now.”
Trump was scheduled to speak second at Tuesday’s session, after Brazilian President Michel Temer.
Instead, Temer’s speech was followed by an awkward pause, as UN officials prepared the podium to accommodate the No. 3 speaker, Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno, who is in a wheelchair.
Trump’s motorcade arrived during Moreno’s speech at the UN headquarters in New York.
The White House did not immediately explain why Trump was running late. Trump’s America-first policies and criticism of allies has clashed with the multilateral spirit of the UN General Assembly.
The U.S. president arrived to New York over the weekend and began holding meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the UN gathering on Monday.
He met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi of Egypt, as well as with the president of South Korea. He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later this week.
Tuesday morning, three hours before his speech, Trump tweeted that he does not intend to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rohani, who is also in New York this week. “Despite requests, I have no plans to meet Iranian President Hassan Rohani. Maybe someday in the future. I am sure he is an absolutely lovely man,” Trump wrote.
The Trump administration has recently increased its economic pressure on Iran. Last week, Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said the administration is aiming to bring down the Iranian regime and replace it with another form of government. Administration officials such as UN Ambassador Nikki Haley refuted the comments and said this was not the true intention of Trump’s Iran policy.
During last year’s UN General Assembly, Trump sat down with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. It was the last time the two leaders met. Three months later, Trump announced he will move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a step that has torpedoed the American-Palestinian relationship. Abbas is in New York this week and will speak before the General Assembly, but there are no plans for a meeting between him and Trump at the moment.