UN Annual Debate begins

Pramod de Silva in New York

UN: The Annual General Debate of the United Nations started in New York yesterday, with new UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urging global leaders to rise up to the "daunting array of challenges" facing the world.

Heads of State and high-level representatives from 192 Member States are participating in the 62nd sessions of the UN General Assembly. The Sri Lankan delegation is led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa who addressed the UN during the afternoon prime slot.

Making the opening speech of the Debate, Moon urged world leaders to take action on poverty and climate change to the conflict in Darfur.

Ban hinted at the need for UN reforms, calling for "an internal climate of change" in the UN to deal with a growing number of issues.

"I expect the year ahead to be among the most challenging in our history. And I am sure that, together, we can make it one of the most successful. We need to pay less attention to rhetoric and more attention to results to getting things done," he said.

He stressed the importance of achieving peace in the Middle East as it was vital to regional and world stability. He added that "no stone would be left unturned to end the tragedy in Darfur". Brazilian President Lula da Silva was the next to speak, followed by US President

George W Bush. Also expected to speak before the General Assembly yesterday were French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and South African President Thabo Mbeki. President Bush told the U.N. General Assembly that the US would tighten existing economic sanctions on Myanmar.

He asked the U.N. General Assembly to "join in the mission of liberation." "The best way to defeat an extremist is to defeat their dark ideology with a more hopeful vision," he said in lauding a universal declaration of human rights.

He said nations must unite to combat illnesses like AIDS and malaria. Trade and investment rather than foreign aid were the best means of fighting poverty in the world, he said.

The Debate will end on October 3 after the speech by the leader of Trinidad and Tobago.