2024-09-24 20:23:53
In his last speech as president before the United Nations General Assembly, US President Joe Biden called for peace in the Middle East, adding that full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest.
He further added that Russia’s war in Ukraine had failed and that a diplomatic solution between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah was still possible.
“Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest, even if the situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible,” he told the 193-member UN General Assembly.
“The good news is Putin’s war has failed at his core aim. He set out to destroy Ukraine, but Ukraine is still free,” Biden said.
“We cannot grow weary, we cannot look away, and we will not let up on our support for Ukraine, not until Ukraine wins with a just, durable peace,” he said.
Biden also spoke about ensuring peace in the Middle East, saying that progress in that direction would put the world in a stronger position to do “with the ongoing threat posed by Iran.”
“Together we must deny oxygen to its terrorist proxies … and ensure that Iran will never, ever obtain a nuclear weapon,” he said.
The US heads into presidential elections in just over a month with Americans all set to vote on November 5 and pick either Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris or Republican candidate former President Donald Trump as their next leader.
BIDEN SPEAKS ABOUT ELECTIONS ACROSS WORLD
In his address to the UNGA, Biden cited the example of India, South Korea and Ghana and said that the world witnessed people across the globe “peacefully” choosing their future through elections held this year.
“We’ve seen citizens across the world peacefully choosing their future, from Ghana to India to South Korea – nations representing one-quarter of humanity will hold elections this year alone,” Biden said as he addressed world leaders from the podium of the UN General Assembly.
“This summer, I faced a decision whether to seek a second term as President. It was a difficult decision. Being president has been the honour of my life. There’s so much more I want to get done. As much as I love this job, I love my country more. I decided, after 50 years of public service, it was time for a new generation of leadership to take my nation forward. My fellow leaders, let us never forget, that some things are more important than staying in power. It’s your people,” Biden said to a round of huge applause from the world leaders in the UNGA hall.
“We are here to serve the people, not the other way around,” he added.
