Guterres called for peace in Ukraine…reports Asian Lite News
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that an escalation of the war in Ukraine is “a clear and present danger”.
“Over the past year, not only have we seen suffering and devastation grow, it is also becoming more evident just how much worse it could all still become. The possible consequences of a spiraling conflict are a clear and present danger,” he told a resumed emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
The war in Ukraine is also fanning regional instability and fueling global tensions and divisions, while diverting attention and resources from other crises and pressing global issues, he said.
“Meanwhile, we have heard implicit threats to use nuclear weapons. The so-called tactical use of nuclear weapons is utterly unacceptable. It is high time to step back from the brink,” he added.
Guterres called for peace, Xinhua news agency reported.
People in Ukraine are suffering enormously. Ukrainians, Russians and people far beyond need peace, he said.
“While prospects may look bleak today, we must all work, knowing that genuine, lasting peace must be based on the UN Charter and international law.”
The longer the fighting continues, the more difficult this work will be, he warned.
“We don’t have a moment to lose.”
The 11th emergency special session of the General Assembly resumed on Wednesday as the war between Russia and Ukraine is approaching its first anniversary.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on Ukraine, at the UN headquarters in New York, on Feb. 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Ying/IANS)
The Charter itself has paralysed the UN by conferring veto powers for permanent members at the Security Council, which alone can act, a report by Arul Louis
Paralysed by its own Charter and structure, the world organisation that is charged with preventing wars confronts an existential challenge from Russias ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
When Russia, a UN Security Council Permanent Member, sent its troops into a smaller neighbour defying the UN Charter and all norms of international relations on February 24, 2022, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had said: “This is the saddest moment in my tenure as Secretary-General of the UN.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) meets with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Kiev on April 28, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidential Office/Handout via Xinhua/IANS)
Beyond sadness from the betrayal and the pain inflicted on nations around the world, especially the poorest, the war drives into the very foundation of the UN built nearly 78 years ago.
Guterres warned this month, “I fear the world is not sleepwalking into a wider war, I fear it is doing so with its eyes wide open”.
And the invasion has raised questions about the UN’s resolve “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, as the first sentence of its Charter declares.
Yet the Charter itself has paralysed the UN by conferring veto powers for permanent members at the Security Council, which alone can act.
Russia’s vetoes have mired the Council in the morass of inaction renewing calls for its reform.
Describing the situation, General Assembly President Csaba Korosi said: “The Security Council — the main guarantor of international peace and security – has remained blocked, unable to fully carry out its mandate.”
“Growing numbers are now demanding its reform,” he said noting that at the Assembly’s High-Level Week in September, “one-third of world leaders underscored the urgent need to reform the Council — more than double the number in 2021”.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Petersburg in 2019. (File Photo: UN)
While the reform process — in which India has a special interest as an aspirant for a permanent seat –that has itself been stymied for nearly two decades has come to the fore, it is not likely to happen any time soon.
But the General Assembly, which does not have the enforcement powers of the Council, has used the imbroglio to set a precedent forcing permanent members when they wield their veto to face it and explain their action.
Russia appeared before the Assembly to answer for its vetoes while facing a barrage of criticism.
The Assembly also revived a seldom-used action under the 1950 Uniting for Peace Resolution of calling for an emergency special session when the Council fails in its primary duty of maintaining peace and security.
It passed a resolution in March demanding that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders”.
It received 141 votes — getting more than two-thirds of the votes 193 required for it — while India was among the 35 countries that abstained.
This, as well as the subsequent three passed last year ultimately were but an exercise in moral authority with no means to enforce it.
A proposal made by Mexico and France in 2015 calling on permanent members to refrain from using their vetoes on issues involving them also has been getting a re-airing– but to no avail.
Russia’s Permanent Representative Vasily Nebenza vetoes the resolution at the UN Security Council.
India, which was a member of the Council last year was caught in the middle of the polarisation at the UN, both at the Council and the Assembly, because of its dependence on Russian arms and the support it had received at crucial times in the Security Council from its predecessor the Soviet Union.
India abstained at least 11 times on substantive resolutions relating to Ukraine in both chambers of the UN, including resolutions at the Council sponsored by Moscow.
India faced tremendous pressure from the West to join in voting on resolutions against Russia and openly take a definitive stand condemning Moscow.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told the Security Council in September 2022: “As the Ukraine conflict continues to rage, we are often asked whose side we are on. And our answer, each time, is straight and honest. India is on the side of peace and will remain firmly there.”
And while keeping the semblance of neutrality while voting, India came closest to taking a stand in support of Ukraine — and by inference against Russia — when he said, “we are on the side that respects the UN Charter and its founding principles”.
Now out of the Council, New Delhi’s profile has been lowered and it also does not have to publicly display its tight-rope walk as often, although it may yet have to do it again this week when the Assembly is likely to have a resolution around the invasion’s anniversary.
The pain of the invasion is felt far beyond the borders of Ukraine.
(Photo: Instagram/zelenskiy)
Guterres said: “The Russian invasion of Ukraine is inflicting untold suffering on the Ukrainian people, with profound global implications.”
The fallout of the war has set back the UN’s omnibus development goals.
More immediately, several countries came to the brink of famine and the spectre of hunger still stalks the world because of shortages of agricultural input, while many countries, including many developed nations, face severe energy and financial problems.
The war shut off exports of food grains from Ukraine and limited exports from Russia, the two countries that have become the world’s food baskets.
Besides depriving many countries of food grains, the shortages raised global prices.
The one victory for the UN has been the Black Sea agreement forged with Russia, Ukraine and Turkey in July to allow safe passage for ships carrying foodgrains from Ukrainian ports.
Guterres’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that in about 1,500 trips by ships so far, “more than 21.3 million tonnes of grain and food products have been moved so far during the initiative, helping to bring down global food prices and stabilising markets”.
Csaba Korosi, president of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). (Xinhua/Wang Ying/IANS)
A UN outfit, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has also made an impact during the war, working to protect nuclear facilities in Ukraine that were occupied by Russia’s forces while shelling around them.
It said that it has managed to station teams of safety and security experts at Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and at Chernobyl, the site of the 1986 disaster “to help reduce the risk of a severe nuclear accident during the ongoing conflict in the country”.
Antonio appoints Najat Rochdi as deputy special envoy for Syria
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has announced the appointment of Najat Rochdi of Morocco as deputy special envoy for Syria…reports Asian Lite news
Rochdi succeeds Khawla Matar of Bahrain, “to whom the Secretary-General expresses his gratitude for her efforts and dedication in the search for peace in Syria,” the UN chief’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.
Rochdi has more than 20 years of experience in political affairs and international coordination in conflict and post-conflict areas, including through her latest assignment as deputy special coordinator, resident and humanitarian coordinator, with the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Xinhua news agency reported.
Her earlier assignments include senior adviser to the special envoy for Syria, resident and humanitarian coordinator in Cameroon and deputy director of the Representative Office of the United Nations Development Programme in Geneva.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly encourages respect for all religions, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric has said regarding reports of two former BJP spokespersons making controversial statements about Prophet Muhammad…reports Asian Lite News
“We strongly encourage respect and tolerance for all religions,” Dujarric said on Monday responding to a Pakistan media reporter’s question about what he termed the “blasphemous” statements.
The spokesperson said: “We’ve seen stories, (but) I haven’t seen the remarks themselves.”
Nupur Sharma, who was a BJP spokesperson, has been suspended by the party’s leadership, and the party’s Delhi unit media head Naveen Jindal has been expelled.
Police in Mumbai, Thane and Hyderabad have registered cases against Sharma charging her with “hurting religious sentiments”.
They made the controversial statements during a TV debate.
The BJP dissociated itself from the two.
Arun Singh, BJP’s national general secretary denounced the insulting of religious figures.
“The BJP respects all religions. The BJP strongly denounces insult of any religious personalities of any religion. The BJP is also strongly against any ideology which insults or demeans any sect or religion,” he added.
The controversial statements have set off an international furore.
Several Muslim nations, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Indonesia and Iran, as well as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation have officially protested their statements and demanded an apology.
Sharma and Jindal have asserted on Twitter that they did not mean to offend any religion.
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has paid tribute to the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday…reports Asian Lite News
The tribute held at 09:00 in the General Assembly Hall, during which, the UN General Assembly members as well as permanent representatives observed a minute of silence as a mark of respect for the late UAE leader.
Also on the day, the UN Flag will be lowered to half-mast at UN Headquarters in New York as a mark of respect for the passing.
Member States, heads of the five regional groups at the UN General Assembly and the US permanent representative, the host country, will deliver statements during the remembrance to express condolences and sympathies with the UAE government and people and reflect on Sheikh Khalifa’s legacy and achievements.
In a statement issued by his spokesman, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, extended his profound condolences to the Al Nahyan family, the government and people of the United Arab Emirates on the passing of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed.
The UN Security Council opened its meeting last week by honouring Sheikh Khalifa with a moment of silence.
Recently, the Arab League Council held a meeting at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, where permanent representatives paid tribute to the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in the presence of Maryam Khalifa Al Kaabi, UAE Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt, and UAE Permanent Representative to the Arab League.
The permanent representatives started the meeting by observing a moment of silence in the memory of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Al Kaabi stressed that the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan passed away after a journey full of giving and achievements, but his memory remains indelible, as with the clear impact he made at the local, Arab and international levels.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the authorities of Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso to return to “constitutional order” as soon as possible.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the authorities of Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso to return to “constitutional order” as soon as possible.
During a press conference with Senegalese President Macky Sall, the UN chief said it is important to continue the dialogue with the three countries’ authorities to facilitate a swift return to “constitutional order.”
He also expressed his worry about the security situation in the Sahel region, and pledged to continue “robust African peacekeeping and counter-terrorism operations, implemented by the African Union and supported by the United Nations.”
He called on the entire international community to lend support to West African countries so that they can tackle the security challenges from the root.
Guterres arrived in Dakar Saturday evening. He also will visit Niger and Nigeria.
Tunisian President
Tunisian Crisis
Tunisian President Kais Saied announced Sunday that a high committee will be formed to prepare for the establishment of a new constitution.
Saied addressed broadcast on state television Wataniya1 that “the committee will be made up of two bodies, one will be in charge of national dialogue convening political and socio-economic actors, while another will complete the process with all legal, logistical and institutional organizational aspects.”
“Our historical responsibility prompted us to confront multiple challenges and to find solutions, especially in the face of some parties continuing to exacerbate the situation in the country,” Saied said.
UNICEF Funds
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Monday disclosed it has only received 22 percent of the 351 million U.S. dollars it requires to meet the needs of 9.9 million people in Ethiopia.
In a Humanitarian Situation report it published, UNICEF stated it needs the funds to meet the needs of 9.9 million people impacted by drought conditions in four regions of Ethiopia.
The UNICEF funding appeal to Ethiopia also includes funds needed to help 4.45 million children in Ethiopia.
UNICEF aims to provide life-saving supplies as well as standard health, nutrition, educational and sanitary services assistance to the needy.
The UNICEF statement also said nearly 650,000 children are out of school in Ethiopia’s Oromia, Southern and Somali regions due to drought conditions.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for a four-day humanitarian pause in fighting in Ukraine to allow for the opening of humanitarian aid corridors during the Orthodox Christian Holy Week…reports Asian Lite News
“Today, I am calling for a four-day Holy Week humanitarian pause beginning on Holy Thursday and running through Easter Sunday, April 24th to allow for the opening of a series of humanitarian corridors,” Guterres told reporters standing in front of the “Knotted Gun,” or “Non Violence,” an iconic sculpture of a large gun, the barrel of which is tied in a knot. The sculpture is the first thing that many visitors to UN headquarters in New York see as they enter the compound and symbolizes the world body’s commitment to world peace.
Due to the intensifying Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine as Easter approaches, the UN chief said a humanitarian pause is all the more important.
During the proposed pause, Guterres stated, civilians would be evacuated from “current or expected areas of confrontation” and humanitarian aid would be delivered to desperately in needy places such as Mariupol, Donetsk, Lugansk and Kherson.
The top UN official said that more than 4 million people in those areas need assistance.
“The four-day Easter period should be a moment to unite around saving lives and furthering dialogue to end the suffering in Ukraine,” Guterres said.
A day earlier, UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths suggested that the time might be right for a ceasefire as the Orthodox Easter holiday approaches.
Clashes at Palestine
The UN chief has voiced grave concern over the deteriorating security situation in Jerusalem and called for efforts to de-escalate the tension, said his spokesman.
Palestinians clashed with the Israeli police forces on Friday at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, leaving more than 100 people wounded, Xinhua news agency reported.
The secretary-general on Friday called on leaders on all sides to help calm the situation. Provocations on the holy site, sacred to both Jews and Muslims, must stop to prevent further escalation, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, in a statement.
Guterres reiterated his call for the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem to be upheld and respected, said the statement.
UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland is in close contact with key regional partners and the parties to calm the situation. Guterres reiterated his commitment to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict on the basis of relevant UN resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements, said the statement.
The tension between Israel and the Palestinians has flared up in the West Bank and East Jerusalem over the past three weeks as the Jewish festival of Passover overlaps with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemns the recent Houthi-claimed attacks on civilian targets in Saudi Arabia, a UN spokesman has said…reports Asian Lite News
“These actions damage prospects for peace and regional stability and are detrimental to the ongoing mediation efforts of our special envoy Hans Grundberg,” Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for Guterres, was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.
International humanitarian law prohibits attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
“We call upon all parties to exercise maximum restraint and avoid any further escalation,” Dujarric added. “We strongly urge the parties to engage constructively and without preconditions with Grundberg.”
The special envoy aims to advance talks to reach a comprehensive negotiated settlement to end the conflict in Yemen.
On Sunday, the Houthi rebel militia claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi Aramco oil facilities in Jeddah and other energy facilities in Saudi Arabia. It was the second of such cross-border missile attacks against Saudi Arabia in less than 24 hours.
The Houthi’s attacks on Sunday followed a few days after saying they were ready for peace talks when previous attempts to get the militia into such discussions failed.
The spokesman said Grundberg was in Muscat, Oman, on Sunday meeting the Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam.
Dujarric said they discussed ongoing UN consultations and efforts to address the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, including a possible truce during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan. Grundberg is continuing discussions with the parties to the conflict.
A Saudi-led coalition supports the internationally-recognized Yemen government, forced from its seat in Saana by the Houthis.
Antonio voices concern over missile attack in Iraq's Erbil
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply concerned about Sunday’s missile attack in Erbil in Iraq, said Farhan Haq, his deputy spokesman, on Tuesday…reports Asian Lite News
The attack came at a critical moment for Iraq’s path to peace and stability. The secretary-general renewed his call to all concerned sides to exercise restraint and avoid escalation, said the spokesman, Xinhua news agency reported.
Guterres urged Iraq’s partners to support Iraqi efforts to advance regional peace and security in accordance with the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and good neighbourly relations, said Haq.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Sunday confirmed that it launched the attack on what it said was an Israeli intelligence base in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. The operation was in response to an Israeli airstrike on the Syrian capital of Damascus on March 7, in which two IRGC officers were killed, the IRGC said in a statement.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson talks with India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres as they attend day one of the G20 Summit in Rome, Italy. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street
The diplomatic efforts involving India and Guterres’s contacts with New Delhi come as the war intensifies in Ukraine….writes Arul Louis
As India pledged to continue its efforts with Russia and Ukraine to end the war, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that he has been in “close contact” with New Delhi on the mediation efforts.
Of New Delhi’s efforts to end the “hostilities”, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to UN, R. Ravindra, told the Security Council, “India has been in touch with both the Russian Federation and Ukraine in this regard and will continue to remain engaged. We call for direct contacts and negotiations with a view to cease hostilities.”
Earlier, Guterres said at a news conference outside the Council chamber, “I have been in close contact with a number of countries — including China, France, Germany, India, Israel and Turkey — for mediation efforts to bring an end to this war. It is never too late for diplomacy and dialogue.”
Pic credits Twitter @MFA_Ukraine
He added, “The appeals for peace must be heard. The tragedy must stop.”
The diplomatic efforts involving India and Guterres’s contacts with New Delhi come as the war intensifies in Ukraine.
“The human toll continues to mount and the humanitarian situation has become dire,” Ravindra said.
Maintaining a delicate diplomatic balance, he said, “We continue to underline the need to respect the UN Charter, international law and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.”
He added, “India has been consistent in calling for an immediate end to all hostilities in Ukraine. Our Prime Minister has repeatedly called for an urgent ceasefire and that there is no other path left but of dialogue and diplomacy.”
In a recent phone call with Russia President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him to hold direct talks with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the External Affairs Ministry.
In separate calls with them, he called for an end to the conflict and urged for direct talks while they briefed him about their negotiations.
The Council heard a briefing from Poland’s Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau in his capacity as the chair of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Ravindra thanked Rau “for the generosity and help extended to our citizens, in their safe return from conflict zones in Ukraine”.
He said that India has so far evacuated 22,500 citizens from Ukraine.
Ravindra recalled that the OSCE was among the first to condemn the terrorist attack on India’s Parliament in 2001 and said that it “needs to take into account such cross-border terrorist acts and other new and emerging threats”.
He said that the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine had played an important role in eastern Ukraine in facilitating the implementation of the package of agreements by the sides involved.
“However, recent developments in Ukraine and consequent deterioration of security situation have halted the functioning of the Special Monitoring Mission,” he added.
Rau and several countries regretted that the Mission in Ukraine is no longer able to function. Rau likened the Russian attack on civilian facilities like hospitals to “state terrorism”.
He warned that the OSCE will hold responsible those committing “war crimes”.
US Deputy Representative Richard Mills condemned the killing of American journalist Brent Renaud in the Ukrainian city of Irpin in Russian firing.
Russia’s Permanent Representative to UN, Vasily Nebenzya, denied that Renaud was a journalist, instead calld him only a “film-maker”.
UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo said that the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, has “received credible reports of Russian forces using cluster munitions, including in the populated areas”.
Such attacks are prohibited under international humanitarian law, she said.
She added, “We are deeply disturbed by reports that Ukrainian municipal officials in Russia controlled parts of the country have been abducted. There are also reports of civilians, including journalists being targeted, targeted, allegedly by Russian forces.”
Nebenzia denied the allegations that his country was carrying out attacks on civilian targets or violating international norms on using prohibited weapons and warned that Ukraine may use chemical weapons.
