Austria withdraws peacekeepers from Golan Heights as Bin Laden's former Al Qaeda number two urges Sunni Muslims to fight in Syria civil war

• Austria will recall peacekeepers from the U.N. monitoring force after worsening fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels
  
• Ayman al-Zawahri fuels fears that British-supplied weapons could fall into hands of terrorists 
• U.S. and allies concerned weapons could be used against West in future
• Assad's troops triumphed in the strategic border town of Qusair
• Demonstrates potentially game-changing role of Hezbollah in the civil war
• Syrian army takes control of a UN-monitored crossing in the Golan Heights
• Russia: Concern powers may claim use of chemical weapons to attack 

By DAVID WILLIAMS, CHIEF REPORTER and ANNA EDWARDS

PUBLISHED: 06:35 EST, 6 June 2013 | UPDATED: 07:53 EST, 7 June 2013

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2336802/Overthrow-Assad-set-Islamic-rule-Bin-Ladens-Al-Qaeda-number-urges-Sunni-Muslims-fight-Syria-civil-war.html#ixzz2VYOFZzbJ
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Ayman al-Zawahri has called on Sunni Muslims to overthrow 

President Bashar Assad and set up Islamic rule

Austria will recall its peacekeepers from the U.N. monitoring force on the Golan Heights after worsening fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels sent its soldiers scurrying into bunkers for cover.

  

The dramatic announcement came as the leader of Al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahri, rallied all Sunni Muslims to overthrow President Bashar Assad and set up Islamic rule in the country

Austrians account for about 380 of the 1,000-strong U.N. force observing a decades-old ceasefire between Syria and Israel, and their departure after 39 years will deal a serious blow to the mission.

'Our soldiers are not trained or deployed for a military operation between government troops and rebels,' Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann told a news conference, saying they were not safe in a buffer zone that was no longer respected.

A U.N. spokeswoman said Austria had been a 'backbone of the mission' and its withdrawal would affect the force's operational capacity.

The decision came hours after Syrian rebels seized a U.N.-manned border crossing linking Syria and Israel. Israeli security sources later reported Syrian troops had retaken it after heavy fighting.

Austrian Defence Minister Gerald Klug said the pullout would likely take place over two to four weeks, with the first troops perhaps coming out as part of a planned rotation next Tuesday.

He said the withdrawal could take place much faster if the situation escalated - 'a shorter orderly exit within a few hours is possible' - and said returning soldiers could eventually join other Austrian peacekeeping missions in global hot spots.

Ayman al-Zawahri was Osama bin Laden's number two and his comments will fuel fears that British weapons could fall into terrorists' hands

The United Nations said it was in discussions with other countries about providing replacement troops.

  

As Austria made its dramatic announcement, Britain and France led calls today to support rebel forces in Syria after the leader of Al Qaeda rallied all Sunni Muslims to overthrow President Bashar Assad and set up Islamic rule in the country.

The demand by Ayman al-Zawahri - for years Osama Bin Laden's number two - will fuel the fears of those who warn that arms supplied by the UK could end-up in the hands of terrorist-linked fighters and add to the chaos of the civil war.

Islamic groups, such as the Al Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, are the most organized and most effective force fighting on the rebel side in Syria. 

The U.S. and its European allies, who have backed the opposition, share Israel's concern that Islamic radical factions may take over the rebel ranks gaining access to weapons that could eventually be used against the West.

Victorious: Forces loyal to the Syrian army wave national flags as they celebrate in the main square of Qusair in Syria's central Homs

Jubilant: Syrian residents celebrate alongside a young child dressed in army fatigues

Underlining the concerns over the supply of arms, more than 80 Conservative MPs have signed a letter to David Cameron demanding a Commons vote before Britain sends any to the Syrian rebels.

It comes a day after it emerged at least six senior members of the Security Council have raised concerns over handing weapons to the opposition and four days after a young Briton believed to be fighting alongside al-Nursa was killed in Syria.

The letter, drafted by North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen, follows the tabling of a Commons early day motion on Wednesday and repeated questions to the Prime Minister on the issue.

Tory MPs have expressed unease about Britain's escalating role in the continuing war in Syria after Britain secured a relaxation of the arms embargo to allow weapons to be sent.

Mr Bridgen said yesterday: 'There is considerable concern in this House and the country about us being pulled further into another Middle Eastern conflict where there appear to be many sides but no end.' 

Triumph: The regime triumph in the strategic border town of Qusair, which Assad's forces had bombarded for months without success, demonstrates the potentially game-changing role of Hezbollah in Syria's civil war

Push: Syrian army troops drive through the ravaged streets - the gain could also embolden Assad to push for all-out military victory rather than participate in peace talks being promoted by the United States and Russia

Al Qaeda's call came as Assad's forces fought off an attempt by rebels to seize the sole crossing between Syria and Israel yesterday, while army troops sought to ram home strategic gains further to the north.

A day after losing control of Qusair, an important town close to the Lebanese border, rebels tried to grab back the initiative with an assault on Quneitra - a demilitarised zone on the Golan Heights that is patrolled by the United Nations.

Syrian troops and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies led a victory parade through the streets of a Qusair after a bloody battle with rebel forces. 

The regime triumph in the strategic border town, which Assad's forces had bombarded for months without success, demonstrates the potentially game-changing role of Hezbollah in Syria's civil war.

The gain could also embolden Assad to push for all-out military victory rather than participate in peace talks being promoted by the United States and Russia. 

Earlier today a UN-monitored crossing in the Golan Heights was overrun by rebel forces, but it has the Syrian army has now taken control, Israeli military sources say.

Reaction: The United States condemned the assault by Syrian troops on Qusayr, claiming the regime had had to depend on the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to win the battle

Resistant: Both sides had dug in for an all-out battle for Qusair, a key crossroads town of supply lines between Damascus and western and northern Syria that had been under rebel control since early last year

For the first time since the start of the uprising in March 2011, the rebels briefly took control of the area, sending U.N. peacekeepers scurrying to their bunkers. Israeli sources said Syrian forces wrested back the site after fierce fighting.

Austria said it would withdraw its 377 peacekeepers from the 1,000-strong U.N. monitoring force because of the fighting.

Pro-government troops have won a string of successes in recent weeks, boosting Assad at a time when the United States and Russia are struggling to organise a peace conference aimed at ending the civil war, which has killed more than 80,000.

Activists pushed out of the devastated town of Qusair this week issued a desperate plea for help, saying they were cornered by both Syrian troops and their powerful Lebanese allies, the Shi'ite Hezbollah.

Tapping into that deepening Sunni-Shi'ite rift, Al-Zawahri called on Sunnis everywhere to devote their lives, money and expertise to the fight to overthrow the regime, set up Islamic rule in Syria and prevent a U.S.-allied government from taking over after Assad.

The Egyptian-born Al Qaeda leader also urged Sunnis to 'rise above their differences' and fight expanding Shiite influence in Syria.

Time out: Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad sit atop a tank in Qusair in Syria's central Homs province

Symbolic: With the national flag fluttering on the clock tower of the main square in Qusair, forces loyal to the Syrian army patrol the ravaged streets

The authenticity of al-Zawahri's message, which came in an audio recording on the Internet, could not be independently confirmed but it was posted on a militant website commonly used by al-Qaida.

Al-Zawahri has repeatedly called for holy war in Syria and has blasted Lebanese Hezbollah militants and Iran for supporting Assad.

Hezbollah has a vested interest in the survival of Assad's regime. It deepened its involvement in the civil war by sending fighters over the past month to battle rebels in Qusair, an overwhelmingly Sunni town and an opposition stronghold in western Syria.

Amid heightened sectarian tensions in the wider region, the US has called on Iran and Hezbollah to withdraw fighters from Syria.

Several rockets landed in the Hezbollah stronghold of Baalbek inside Lebanon late on Wednesday - after rebel threats to strike at Hezbollah on its home turf.

Meanwhile, on the international front, France said growing proof of chemical weapons use in Syria 'obliges the international community to act'.

Today the United Nations' peacekeeping operations chief confirmed there had been incidents including shooting on the Syrian-Israeli border.

Control: Syrian residents of Qusair in Syria's central Homs province leave in a truck after receiving food provided by the Syrian government after the regime's forces seized total control of the city

Tension: A Syrian soldier standing in front of a shell-pocked building in the main square of the flashpoint city of Qusair

The Shiite militant group lost dozens of fighters in the battle for Qusair, underlining its commitment in support of Assad's regime and edging the fight in Syria further into a regional sectarian conflict pitting the Middle East's Iranian-backed Shiite axis against Sunnis.

Most of the armed rebels in Syria are members of the country's Sunni Muslim majority, while Assad has retained core support among the country's minorities, including his own Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, along with Christians and Shiite Muslims. 

The overt involvement by Hezbollah, which is heavily invested in the survival of the Damascus regime, has raised tensions considerably in Lebanon, where the militants have come under harsh criticism. 

The White House on Wednesday night condemned the town's capture and said Hezbollah's involvement threatens Lebanon's stability. 

Spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement that Assad's regime couldn't wrest control of the town alone and had to rely on help from Hezbollah. 

He said Syria's government must allow the U.N. and others to evacuate Qusair's wounded and provide medical treatment.

Patrol: Syrian army troops patrol in a street left in ruins. The blistering 17-day assaultended in a major battlefield success for regime forces in a war that has killed at least 94,000 people

Plan: Pro-regime media outlets have said government forces are preparing to move to recapture the contested northern city of Aleppo next

In the predominantly Shiite northeastern town of Bazzalieh, nsear the Lebanese city of Baalbek, Hezbollah supporters set up a check point, distributing sweets to people and firing in the air in celebration. 

'Today, we defeated the other Israel,' declared Ali al-Bazzal, 23, waving a yellow Hezbollah flag. 

Over the past two months, the Syrian army has moved steadily against rebels in key battleground areas, making advances near the border with Lebanon and considerably lowering the threat to Damascus, the seat of Assad's government. 

Qusair's fall could boost the momentum for Syrian troops in rolling back rebel gains in other parts of central Homs province, as well as in northern Syria, where the sides have been locked in a stalemate for months. Pro-regime media outlets have said government forces are preparing to move to recapture the contested northern city of Aleppo next. 

The blow to the rebel movement - compounded by deepening divisions in opposition ranks - was likely to further discourage it from entering peace negotiations with the regime, which the United States and Russia have been trying to put together in Geneva.

Power struggle: Earlier today a UN-monitored crossing in the Golan Heights was overrun by rebel forces, but it has the Syrian army has now taken control, Israeli military sources say (file photo)

Assad's regime has agreed in principle to attend, but the opposition has balked, saying it won't participate while 'massacres are taking place.' 

Qusair - formerly home to some 40,000 people - was key for both sides.

It lies on a land corridor linking two Assad strongholds, the capital of Damascus and an area along the Mediterranean coast that is the heartland of his minority Alawite sect.

For the rebels, Qusair was a crucial conduit for weapons, fighters and supplies smuggled into Syria from Lebanon. 

The fall of Qusair provides the best evidence to date that the growing participation of Hezbollah fighters alongside Assad's troops is a potential game changer in the more than 2-year-old conflict that has left more than 70,000 people dead. 

In a sign of the growing fears of a regional spillover, Jordanian officials on Wednesday said the U.S. will send anti-missile batteries and fighter jets to Jordan at the kingdom's request to boost defense capabilities in the face of an attack from Syria.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2336802/Overthrow-Assad-set-Islamic-rule-Bin-Ladens-Al-Qaeda-number-urges-Sunni-Muslims-fight-Syria-civil-war.html#ixzz2VYOVtoXq
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- Bhatti use Al Qaeda rhetoric

Arfan Bhatti held appeal Friday's demonstration outside Parliament. He claims that he is not threatened, but warned, the Norwegian people.

Photo: Larsen, Håkon Mosvold / Scanpix

Rhetoric Arfhan Bhatti uses the Norwegian society, marked by the Al Qaeda uses when it threatens the West, said jihadist expert.

• SJUR KNUDSEN ØVERÅSsjur.overas.knudsen@nrk.no

Posted 1/21/2012 3:11 p.m..

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- If the security is dear to you, dear Norwegians, should you have collected petition for the Norwegian government to pull out the Norwegian troops from Afghanistan. I emphasize that this is not a threat but a warning to own good, Bhatti said Friday when he spoke at the demonstration against Norway's war in Afghanistan.

• Bhatti: I hope Allah punishes PST

- Mixture of anti-war rhetoric and Al Qaeda rhetoric

Bhatti contributed to the shots at the synagogue in Oslo in September 2006. In 2008 he was convicted of psychological involvement in the vandalism at the synagogue, but acquitted of a charge of terrorist planning.

FFI researcher Brynjar Lia.

NRK

37 people showed up for Friday's demonstration outside Parliament, where they among other things, heard an appeal from former terrorist accused Bhatti. These are few people, and every country in Europe has such environments. The important thing is that this environment is not very big, mean Brynjar Lia, senior researcher at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI).

- The Bhatti said Friday is a bit the same as Mohyeldeen Mohammad said two years ago, the cartoon controversy. And this rhetoric is a mixture of anti-war rhetoric and Al Qaeda rhetoric, says Lia.

- The Osama bin Laden also said often that the West can not have security if Muslims do not have security , and such. This is one of the key messages from Al Qaeda.

Bhatti with a clearer profile

Lia adds that both Muhammad and Bhatti has, for example on their Facebook pages, a rhetoric that is close to that used by the global jihadist movement. They obviously were very militant, said FFI researcher.

How serious is it?

- These extremist groups are dangerous because the more these communities are, the easier it is for a terrorist cell to form, says Lia.

Is there reason for concern that a person Bhatti, who has a criminal record, is so central to this group?

- If one is to establish itself as an authority in these environments is experience from jihad countries significantly. It is also essential that you can Islamic law and ideology well. How well Bhatti is on this and charismatic leader of this small community, we know too little about.But he has certainly gained a clearer profile as a leader than he was two years ago when there was a demonstration against the Mohammed cartoons, says Lia.

There was a group of Muslims against the occupation as Friday organized demonstration against the Norwegian soldiers' presence in Afghanistan.

Moderate Muslim Al-Quaida Agent

 From US Private School Student to Al-Qaida Agent

By CHRIS BRUMMITT and GENE JOHNSON Associated Press

January 18, 2012 (AP)

Moeed Abdul Salam didn't descend into radical Islam for lack of other options. He grew up in a well-off Texas household, attended a pricey boarding school and graduated from one of the state's most respected universities.
But the most unlikely thing about his recruitment was his family: Two generations had spent years promoting interfaith harmony and combating Muslim stereotypes in their hometown and even on national television.
Salam rejected his relatives' moderate faith and comfortable life, choosing instead a path that led him to work for al-Qaida. His odyssey ended late last year in a middle-of-the-night explosion in Pakistan. The 37-year-old father of four was dead after paramilitary troops stormed his apartment.
Officers said Salam committed suicide with a grenade. An Islamic media group said the troops killed him.
Salam's Nov. 19 death went largely unnoticed in the U.S. and rated only limited attention in Pakistan. But the circumstances threatened to overshadow the work of an American family devoted to religious understanding. And his mysterious evolution presented a reminder of the attraction Pakistan still holds for Islamic militants, especially well-educated Westerners whose Internet and language skills make them useful converts for jihad.

"There are things that we don't want to happen but we have to accept, things that we don't want to know but we have to learn, and a loved one we can't live without but have to let go," Salam's mother, Hasna Shaheen Salam, wrote last month on her Facebook page.
The violence didn't stop after Salam died. Weeks after his death, fellow militants killed three soldiers with a roadside bomb to avenge the raid.
It is not clear to what extent Salam's family knew of his radicalism, but on his Facebook page the month before he died, he posted an image of Anwar al-Awalki, the American al-Qaida leader who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen, beside a burning American flag. He had also recently linked to a document praising al-Awalki's martyrdom and to a message urging Muslims to rejoice "in this time when you see the mujahideen all over the world victorious."
After his death, the Global Islamic Media Forum, a propaganda group for al-Qaida and its allies, hailed Salam as a martyr, explaining in an online posting that he had overseen a unit that produced propaganda in Urdu and other South Asian languages.
A senior U.S. counterterrorism official said Salam's role had expanded over the years beyond propaganda to being an operative. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
The family, originally from Pakistan, immigrated to the U.S. decades ago. Salam's father was a pilot for a Saudi airline, and the family eventually settled in the Dallas suburb of Plano. Their cream-colored brick home, assessed at nearly $400,000, stands on a corner lot in a quiet, upper-class neighborhood.
The family obtained American citizenship in 1986. Salam attended Suffield Academy in Connecticut, a private high school where tuition and board currently run $46,500. He graduated in 1992.
A classmate, Wadiya Wynn, of Laurel, Md., recalled that Salam played varsity golf, sang in an a cappella group and in the chamber choir, and that he hung out with a small group of "hippie-ish" friends. She thought he was a mediocre student, but noted that just being admitted to Suffield was highly competitive.

Salam went on to study history at the University of Texas at Austin and graduated in 1996. His Facebook profile indicated he moved to Saudi Arabia by 2003 and began working as a translator, writer and editor for websites about Islam.
"Anyone can pick up a gun, but there aren't as many people who can code html and understand the use of proxies," said Evan Kohlmann, a senior partner a Flashpoint Global Partners, which tracks radical Muslim propaganda.
Salam, who had apparently been active in militant circles for as long as nine years, arrived three years ago in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, and became an important link between al-Qaida, the Taliban and other extremists groups, according to an al-Qaida operative in Karachi who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is wanted by authorities.
Salam traveled to the tribal areas close to the Afghan border three or four times for meetings with senior al-Qaida and Taliban leaders, the operative said. He would handle money and logistics in the city and deliver instructions from other members of the network.
Back in the United States, Salam's mother is a prominent resident of Plano, where she is co-chairwoman of a city advisory group called the Plano Multicultural Outreach Roundtable, as well as a former president of the Texas Muslim Women's Foundation.

The founder of the latter group, Hind Jarrah, said Shaheen and her husband are too upset to speak with anyone.
"She's a committed American citizen. She's a hard worker," Jarrah said, calling her "one of the nicest, most committed, most open-minded" women she had ever met.
Salam's brother, Monem Salam, has traveled the country speaking about Islam, seeking to correct misconceptions following the 9/11 attacks. He works for Saturna Capital, where he manages funds that invest according to Islamic principles — for example, in companies that do not profit from alcohol or pork. He recently moved from the company's Bellingham, Wash., headquarters to head its office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
After the 2001 attacks, he and his wife made a public-television documentary about his efforts as a Muslim man to obtain a pilot's license. They also wrote a column for The Bellingham Herald newspaper that answered readers' questions about Islam.
Both Salam's parents and his brother declined numerous interview requests from The Associated Press.
Since the 2001 terrorist attacks, dozens of U.S. citizens have been accused of participating in terrorism activities, including several prominent al-Qaida propagandists, such as al-Awalaki and Samir Khan, who was killed alongside him. Perhaps best known is Adam Gadahn, an al-Qaida spokesman believed to be in Pakistan.
Of 46 cases of "homegrown terrorism" in the U.S. since 2001, 16 have a connection to Pakistan, according to a recent RAND Corporation study. Salam's background as college-educated and from a prosperous family isn't unusual among them.
Salam divorced his wife in October, but was contesting custody of their three sons and one daughter. The children were staying with him in the third-floor apartment when a squad of paramilitary troops known as Rangers arrived around 3:30 a.m.
Officers said they pushed through the flimsy door, and Salam killed himself with a grenade when he realized he was surrounded.
The Islamic media group and the al-Qaida contact in Karachi disputed that account, saying Salam was killed by the troops.

Through the windows, blood splatter and shrapnel marks were visible on the wall close to the dining table. There were boxes of unpacked luggage, a treadmill and two large stereo speakers. Residents said Moeed had only been living there for five days.
Neighbor Syed Mohammad Farooq was woken by an explosion. Minutes later, one of the troops asked him to go inside the apartment and see what had happened, he said.
"He was lying on the floor with blood pooling around him. One of his arms had been blown off. I couldn't look for long. He was moaning and seemed to be reciting verses from the Koran," he said. "I could hear the children crying, but I couldn't see them."

Hours later, Salam's wife and father-in-law, a lawyer in the city, came to collect the children from the apartment in Gulistane Jauhar, a middle-class area of Karachi, Farooq said. On the night he died, Salam led evening prayers at the small mosque on the ground floor of the apartment building.
"His Koranic recitation was very good," said Karim Baloch, who prayed behind him that night. "It was like that of an Arab."
———
Johnson reported from Bellingham, Wash., and can be reached at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle. Brummitt reported from Islamabad, Pakistan, and can be reached at https://twitter.com/cjbrummitt.

Muslim Plot to Kill Americans in Tampa Fla

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Suspected Islamic Extremist Arrested in Alleged Florida Bomb Plot

Published January 09, 2012

| FoxNews.com

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/01/09/suspected-islamic-extremist-arrested-in-florida-bomb-plot/#ixzz1kFgDOTgS

URGENT: A 25-year-old man described as an Islamic extremist was arrested in an alleged plot to attack crowded areas in the Tampa, Fla., area with a car bomb, assault rifle and other explosives, authorities said Monday.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Sami Osmakac, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in the former Yugoslavia, was arrested Saturday night.

• 
  This photo, provided by the Hillsborough
   County Sheriff's Office, shows 25-year-old
   Sami Osmakac.

Osmakac, from Pinellas County, allegedly told an undercover agent that "We all have to die, so why not die the Islamic way?'" according to a federal complaint.

FBI agents arrested Osmakac on Saturday after he allegedly bought explosive devices and firearms from an undercover agent. The firearms and explosives were rendered inoperable by law enforcement. The federal complaint says that shortly before his arrest, Osmakac made a video of himself explaining his motives for carrying out the planned violent attack.

He has been charged with one count of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. His first appearance in federal court is scheduled for Monday at 2 p.m. ET.

Sources close to the investigation told Fox News that Osmakac was being "closely monitored by law enforcement" for months in what authorities have described as a "sting operation."

Federal officials said a confidential source told them in Sept. 2011 that Osmakac wanted Al Qaeda flags. Two months later, the federal complaint said, Osmakac and the confidential source "discussed and identified potential targets in Tampa" that Osmakac wanted to attack.

Osmakac allegedly asked the source for help getting the firearms and explosives for the attacks, and the source put him in touch with an undercover FBI employee.

On Dec. 21, Osmakac met with the undercover agent and allegedly told the agent that he wanted to buy an AK-47-style machine gun, Uzi submachine guns, high capacity magazines, grenades and explosive belt. During a later meeting, Osmakac gave the agent a $500 down payment for the items.

"According to the complaint, Osmakac also asked the undercover employee whether he/she could build bombs that could be placed in three different vehicles and detonated remotely, near where Osmakac would conduct a follow-up attack using the other weapons he requested," a press release from the Department of Justice said. "The undercover employee said he/she could possibly provide explosives for one vehicle. Osmakac also allegedly said that he wanted an explosive belt constructed to kill people."

On Jan. 1, Osmakac told the agent that he wanted to bomb night clubs, the Operations Center of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and a business in Tampa, Florida.

Osmakac told the undercover FBI agent that he wanted to detonate a car bomb and use the explosive belt to "get in somewhere where there's a lot of people" and take hostages.

He also allegedly told the agent that "Once I have this…they can take me in five million pieces," in an apparent reference to a suicide blast. During that meeting, the agent told Osmakac he could always change his mind about his plot.

Osmakac had created a "martyrdom video" and tried on a bomb belt before being arrested Saturday, law enforcement officials told Fox News.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/01/09/suspected-islamic-extremist-arrested-in-florida-bomb-plot/#ixzz1kFfknhmZ

Obama is a Liar Liar his pants on Fire about Israel

'No!' Palestinian U.N. diplomat seen shaking his head as Obama calls on Palestine to drop bid for independence

• President Barack Obama speaks at U.N. General Assembly in New York
• Frustrated at lack of Israel-Palestine progress and urged face-to-face talks
• Hailed 'remarkable year' for peace after Gaddafi's fall and Bin Laden's death
• Obama wants Palestine's Mahmoud Abbas to end U.N. full membership bid
• Palestinian U.N. representative seen shaking his head when Obama calls for both parties to 'see the world through the other's eyes'

By Mark Duell
Last updated at 7:12 PM on 21st September 2011

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Barack Obama's attempt to take charge of the Middle East peace talks was met with an instant rebuff today when a Palestinian representative was filmed shaking his head during the President's address to the United Nations.
The delegate was clearly seen expressing his disapproval as Mr Obama called on Palestinians to withdraw their U.N. resolution for independence.
Addressing the U.N. General Assembly in New York, the President spoke of his frustration at a lack of progress in the Israel-Palestine conflict and urged both parties to resolve their differences through negotiations.
Scroll down for videos and transcript

Talks: President Obama addresses the 66th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York

On camera: A Palestinian U.N. representative, centre, was seen on TV shaking his head when Mr Obama said the Palestinians and Israelis must learn to 'see the world through the other's eyes' (scroll down for video)

But the Palestinian representative at the venue was seen on television shaking his head when Mr Obama said the Palestinians and Israelis must learn to 'see the world through the other's eyes'.
The graphic show of displeasure will enrage White House aides who are keen to promote the President's determination to play a central role in finiding a breakthrough in the Middle East.
However, it is likely to be well received by many Jewish voters in America who have frequently accused Mr Obama of being pro-Palestinian.

More...

• Obama criticises fat cats... then meets them for dinner and asks for their money (but conveniently forgets to mention his tax hikes)

In his speech, the President also hailed a ‘remarkable year’ for peace in which Colonel Gaddafi’s regime fell in Libya and former Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan.
He said 2011 has already been a year of ‘extraordinary transformation’ after a ‘difficult decade’ and told the Middle East it has 'a chance to move decisively in the direction of peace'.
The President is pushing for the Palestinians to drop a statehood bid and will follow up his speech with separate meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to coax both back to direct peace talks.

Big speech: President Obama said 2011 has already been a year of 'extraordinary transformation' after a 'difficult decade' and told the U.N. it has 'a chance to move decisively in the direction of peace'

'Peace is more than just the absence of war,’ President Obama said. ‘A lasting peace for nations and individuals depends on a sense of justice, opportunity, dignity and freedom.'

President Barack Obama speaks on...

• LIBYA: 'After decades of iron rule by one man, it will take time to build the institutions needed for a democratic Libya'
  
• AL QAEDA: 'Bin Laden is gone, and the idea that change could only come through violence has been buried with him'
  
• ISRAEL-PALESTINE: 'It is Israelis and Palestinians - not us - who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them'
  
• U.S. TROOPS: 'When I took office, roughly 180,000 Americans were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. By the end of this year, that number will be cut in half'

He praised President Franklin Roosevelt’s role in setting up the UN - and quoted him as saying: 'We've got to make not merely a peace, but a peace that will last.’
‘One year ago I stood at this podium and I called for an independent Palestine,’ President Obama added. ‘I believed then and I believe now that the Palestinian people deserve a state of their own.’
‘A genuine peace can only be realised between the Israelis and the Palestinians themselves. Israelis must know that any agreement provides assurances for their security.
‘I know many are frustrated by the lack of progress. I assure you – so am I. The question is: how do we reach that goal? Ultimately it’s the Israelis and Palestinians who must live by side by side.’
Mr Obama said they must reach an agreement on borders, security, refugees and security - and talked about the lessons learned from previous conflicts in Northern Ireland and Sudan.

Talk: He spoke to the U.N. General Assembly today about a 'remarkable year' for peace in which Colonel Gaddafi's regime fell in Libya and former Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan

Point: Mr Obama praised President Franklin Roosevelt's role in setting up the UN - and quoted him saying: 'We've got to make not merely a peace, but a peace that will last'

‘We seek a future where Palestinians live in a sovereign state of their own where there are no limits on what they can achieve,’ he said.
_________________________________________________________

(Obama: The first Jewish President?

Democrats claim that Mr Obama is pro-Jewish and pro-Israel - and he was even labelled as 'the first Jewish President' in the latest issue of New York Magazine.
But Mr Obama's aides are worried about him losing Jewish voters after his party lost Anthony Weiner's seat in the 9th congressional district of New York City, which has a large proportion of Jews.
Earlier this month Bob Turner became the first Republican to win the two-fifths Jewish district since 1920 - and Mr Obama's policy on Israel and the Middle East was blamed for the loss.
A poll showed 54 per cent of Jewish Americans approved of Mr Obama's performance in September - down from 68 per cent in May.
Since Obama was NOT born from a Jewish Mother he is NOT JEWISH. END OF STORY!!!! 
However his father was MUSLIM which makes OBAMA MUSLIM)
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‘America’s commitment to Israel’s security is unshakable. Our friendship with Israel is deep and enduring.’
He also spoke about the importance of peace worldwide and repeated the phrase: ‘Peace is hard.’ President Obama added: ‘We still live in a world scarred by conflict and plagued by poverty.
‘Something’s happening in our world,’ he said. The way things have been is not the way they will be.’
President Obama also said the U.S. military operation in Iraq will soon be ending and talked about 'building an enduring partnership with the Afghan people'. 'The tide of war is receding,’ he said.
President Obama was pressuring his Palestinian counterpart, trying to persuade Mahmoud Abbas to end his bid for full U.N. membership and to instead seek upgraded status in the world body.
U.S. officials conceded they cannot stop Mr Abbas from officially launching his case for the Security Council's approval of the statehood effort.
But they have also made the case for the Palestinian leader to essentially drop the move for statehood recognition after delivering his letter of intent to the U.N.

Religious unrest: Palestinian demonstrators carry a slingshot and rocks past a burning rubbish bin during clashes with Israeli soldiers today

Violence: A Palestinian holds a slingshot as others roll tires to burn during clashes with Israeli soldiers, at the Qalandia checkpoint between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem

Mr Abbas was expected to announce a formal request for statehood recognition on Friday when he speaks to the General Assembly. But it could take months for the U.N. to act on the request.

'America’s commitment to Israel’s security is unshakable. Our friendship with Israel is deep and enduring'

President Barack Obama

While Mr Obama will formally ask Mr Abbas not to pursue the statehood bid, the mission is actually directed at containing the fallout by urging him not to push for an actual vote in the Council.
The U.S. has promised a veto. A delay would give international peacemakers time to produce a statement that would be the basis for resumed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
Mr Obama will also meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who arrived in New York early on Wednesday.

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Diagrams: These maps show the possible land swap scenarios for Israel and Palestine in the Middle East

In carefully orchestrated demonstrations, thousands of flag-waving Palestinians rallied Wednesday in towns across the West Bank to show support for their president's bid for U.N. recognition.

'Something’s happening in our world. The way things have been is not the way they will be'
President Barack Obama

A new poll indicated an overwhelming majority supports Mr Abbas' quest for U.N. recognition of a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, the areas Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War.
Were the Palestinians to bow to the ideas of Mr Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, they would become a non-member observer state, a status similar to that of the Holy See. 
That would give them an opportunity to seek membership in U.N. agencies and join treaties, including the Rome statute that established the International Criminal Court.
See video of Palestinian U.N. representative shaking his head here (go to 1:50)

President Barack Obama's full speech to the U.N. General Assembly in New York

Mr President, Mr Secretary-General, fellow delegates, ladies and gentlemen: I would like to talk to you about a subject that is at the heart of the United Nations – the pursuit of peace in an imperfect world.
War and conflict have been with us since the beginning of civilization. But in the first part of the 20th century, the advance of modern weaponry led to death on a staggering scale. It was this killing that compelled the founders of this body to build an institution that was focused not just on ending one war, but on averting others; a union of sovereign states that would seek to prevent conflict, while also addressing its causes.
No American did more to pursue this objective than President Franklin Roosevelt. He knew that a victory in war was not enough. As he said at one of the very first meetings on the founding of the United Nations: ‘We have got to make, not merely a peace, but a peace that will last.’
The men and women who built this institution understood that peace is more than the absence of war. A lasting peace – for nations and individuals – depends upon a sense of justice and opportunity; of dignity and freedom. It depends upon struggle and sacrifice; on compromise, and a sense of common humanity.
One delegate to the San Francisco Conference that led to the creation of United Nations put it well – ‘Many people,’ she said, ‘have talked as if all we had to do to get peace was…to say loudly and frequently that we loved peace and hated war. Now we have learned that no matter how much we love peace and hate war, we cannot avoid having war brought upon us if there are convulsions in other parts of the world.’
The fact is, peace is hard, but our people demand it. Over nearly seven decades, even as the United Nations helped avert a third World War, we still live in a world scarred by conflict and plagued by poverty. Even as we proclaim our love for peace and hatred of war, there are convulsions in our world that endanger us all.
I took office at a time of two wars for the United States. Moreover, the violent extremists who drew us into war in the first place – Osama Bin Laden, and his Al Qaeda organisation – remained at large. Today, we have set a new direction.
At the end of this year, America’s military operation in Iraq will be over. We will have a normal relationship with a sovereign nation that is a member of the community of nations. That equal partnership will be strengthened by our support for Iraq – for its government and Security Forces; for its people and their aspirations.
As we end the war in Iraq, the United States and our coalition partners have begun a transition in Afghanistan. Between now and 2014, an increasingly capable Afghan government and Security Forces will step forward to take responsibility for the future of their country. As they do, we are drawing down our own forces, while building an enduring partnership with the Afghan people.
So let there be no doubt: the tide of war is receding. When I took office, roughly 180,000 Americans were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. By the end of this year, that number will be cut in half, and it will continue to decline. This is critical to the sovereignty of Iraq and Afghanistan, and to the strength of the United States as we build our nation at home.
Moreover, we are poised to end these wars from a position of strength. Ten years ago, there was an open wound of twisted steel and broken hearts in this city. Today, as a new tower rising at Ground Zero symbolizes New York’s renewal, al Qaeda is under more pressure than ever before. Its leadership has been degraded. And Osama bin Laden, a man who murdered thousands of people from dozens of countries, will never endanger the peace of the world again.
Yes, this has been a difficult decade. But today, we stand at a crossroads of history with the chance to move decisively in the direction of peace. To do so, we must return to the wisdom of those who created this institution. The UN’s Founding Charter calls upon us, ‘to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security.’ And Article 1 of this General Assembly’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights reminds us that: ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.’ Those bedrock beliefs – in the responsibility of states, and the rights of men and women – must be our guide.
In that effort, we have reason to hope. This year has been a time of transformation. More nations have stepped forward to maintain international peace and security. And more individuals are claiming their universal right to live in freedom and dignity.
One year ago, when we met here in New York, the prospect of a successful referendum in South Sudan was in doubt. But the international community overcame old divisions to support the agreement that had been negotiated to give South Sudan self-determination. And last summer, as a new flag went up in Juba, former soldiers laid down their arms; men and women wept with joy; and children finally knew the promise of looking to a future that they will shape.
One year ago, the people of Cote D’Ivoire approached a landmark election. And when the incumbent lost, and refused to respect the results, the world refused to look the other way. UN peacekeepers were harassed, but did not leave their posts. The Security Council, led by the United States, Nigeria, and France, came together to support the will of the people. And Cote D’Ivoire is now governed by the man who was elected to lead.
One year ago, the hopes of the people of Tunisia were suppressed. But they chose the dignity of peaceful protest over the rule of an iron fist. A vendor lit a spark that took his own life, but ignited a movement. In the face of a crackdown, students spelled out the word freedom. The balance of fear shifted from the ruler to those that he ruled. Now the people of Tunisia are preparing for elections that will move them one step closer to the democracy they deserve.
One year ago, Egypt had known one President for nearly thirty years. But for 18 days, the eyes of the world were on Tahrir Square, where Egyptians from all walks of life – men and women; young and old; Muslim and Christian – demanded their universal rights. We saw in those protesters the moral force of non-violence that has lit the world from Delhi to Warsaw; from Selma to South Africa – and we knew that change had come to Egypt and to the Arab World.
One year ago, the people of Libya were ruled by the world’s longest serving dictator. But faced with bullets and bombs and a dictator who threatened to hunt them down like rats, they showed relentless bravery. We will never forget the words of the Libyan who stood up in those early days of revolution and said: ‘Our words are free now. It’s a feeling you can’t explain.’
Day after day, in the face of bullets and bombs, the Libyan people refused to give back that freedom. And when they were threatened by the kind of mass atrocity that often went unchallenged in the last century, the United Nations lived up to its charter. The Security Council authorized all necessary measures to prevent a massacre. The Arab League called for this effort, and Arab nations joined a NATO-led coalition that halted Qadhafi’s forces in their tracks.
In the months that followed, the will of the coalition proved unbreakable, and the will of the Libyan people could not be denied. Forty-two years of tyranny was ended in six months. From Tripoli to Misratah to Benghazi – today, Libya is free. Yesterday, the leaders of a new Libya took their rightful place beside us, and this week, the United States is reopening our Embassy in Tripoli. This is how the international community is supposed to work – nations standing together for the sake of peace and security; individuals claiming their rights. Now, all of us have a responsibility to support the new Libyan government as they confront the challenge of turning this moment of promise into a just and lasting peace for all Libyans.
So it has been a remarkable year. The Qadhafi regime is over. Gbagbo, Ben Ali, and Mubarak are no longer in power. Osama bin Laden is gone, and the idea that change could only come through violence has been buried with him. Something is happening in our world. The way things have been is not the way they will be. The humiliating grip of corruption and tyranny is being pried open. Technology is putting power in the hands of the people. The youth are delivering a powerful rebuke to dictatorship, and rejecting the lie that some races, religions and ethnicities do not desire democracy. The promise written down on paper – ‘all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights’ – is closer at hand.
But let us remember: peace is hard. Progress can be reversed. Prosperity comes slowly. Societies can split apart. The measure of our success must be whether people can live in sustained freedom, dignity, and security. And the United Nations and its member states must do their part to support those basic aspirations.
In Iran, we have seen a government that refuses to recognize the rights of its own people. And as we meet here today, men, women and children are being tortured, detained and murdered by the Syrian regime. Thousands have been killed, many during the holy time of Ramadan. Thousands more have poured across Syria’s borders. The Syrian people have shown dignity and courage in their pursuit of justice – protesting peacefully, standing silently in the streets, dying for the same values that this institution is supposed to stand for. The question for us is clear: Will we stand with the Syrian people, or with their oppressors?
Already, the United States has imposed strong sanctions on Syria’s leaders. We have supported a transfer of power that is responsive to the Syrian people. Many of our allies have joined us in this effort. But for the sake of Syria – and the peace and security of the world – we must speak with one voice. There is no excuse for inaction. Now is the time for the United Nations Security Council to sanction the Syrian regime, and to stand with the Syrian people.
Throughout the region, we will have to respond to the calls for change. In Yemen, men, women and children gather by the thousands in towns and city squares every day with the hope that their determination and spilled blood will prevail over a corrupt system. America supports their aspirations. We must work with Yemen’s neighbours and our partners around the world to seek a path that allows for a peaceful transition of power from President Saleh, and a movement to free and fair elections as soon as possible. In Bahrain, steps have been taken toward reform and accountability, but more are required. America is a close friend of Bahrain, and we will continue to call on the government and the main opposition bloc – the Wifaq – to pursue a meaningful dialogue that brings peaceful change that is responsive to the people. And we believe the patriotism that binds Bahrainis together must be more powerful than the sectarian forces that would tear them apart.
Each nation must chart its own course to fulfil the aspirations of its people, and America does not expect to agree with every party or person who expresses themselves politically. But we will always stand up for the universal rights that were embraced by this Assembly. Those rights depend upon elections that are free and fair; governance that is transparent and accountable; respect for the rights of women and minorities; and justice that is equal and fair. That is what our people deserve. Those are elements of a peace that lasts.
Moreover, the United States will continue to support those nations that transition to democracy – with greater trade and investment, so that freedom is followed by opportunity. We will pursue a deeper engagement with governments, but also civil society – students and entrepreneurs; political parties and the press. We have banned those who abuse human rights from travelling to our country, and sanctioned those who trample on human rights abroad. And we will always serve as a voice for those who have been silenced.
Now I know that for many in this hall, one issue stands as a test for these principles – and for American foreign policy: the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians.
One year ago, I stood at this podium and called for an independent Palestine. I believed then – and I believe now – that the Palestinian people deserve a state of their own. But what I also said is that genuine peace can only be realized between Israelis and Palestinians themselves. One year later, despite extensive efforts by America and others, the parties have not bridged their differences. Faced with this stalemate, I put forward a new basis for negotiations in May. That basis is clear, and well known to all of us here. Israelis must know that any agreement provides assurances for their security. Palestinians deserve to know the territorial basis of their state.
I know that many are frustrated by the lack of progress. So am I. But the question isn’t the goal we seek – the question is how to reach it. And I am convinced that there is no short cut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the UN – if it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now. Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians who must live side by side. Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians – not us – who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them: on borders and security; on refugees and Jerusalem.
Peace depends upon compromise among peoples who must live together long after our speeches are over, and our votes have been counted. That is the lesson of Northern Ireland, where ancient antagonists bridged their differences. That is the lesson of Sudan, where a negotiated settlement led to an independent state. And that is the path to a Palestinian state.
We seek a future where Palestinians live in a sovereign state of their own, with no limit to what they can achieve. There is no question that the Palestinians have seen that vision delayed for too long. And it is precisely because we believe so strongly in the aspirations of the Palestinian people that America has invested so much time and effort in the building of a Palestinian state, and the negotiations that can achieve one.
America’s commitment to Israel’s security is unshakeable, and our friendship with Israel is deep and enduring. And so we believe that any lasting peace must acknowledge the very real security concerns that Israel faces every single day. Let’s be honest: Israel is surrounded by neighbours that have waged repeated wars against it. Israel’s citizens have been killed by rockets fired at their houses and suicide bombs on their buses. Israel’s children come of age knowing that throughout the region, other children are taught to hate them. Israel, a small country of less than eight million people, looks out at a world where leaders of much larger nations threaten to wipe it off of the map. The Jewish people carry the burden of centuries of exile, persecution, and the fresh memory of knowing that six million people were killed simply because of who they were.
These facts cannot be denied. The Jewish people have forged a successful state in their historic homeland. Israel deserves recognition. It deserves normal relations with its neighbours. And friends of the Palestinians do them no favours by ignoring this truth, just as friends of Israel must recognize the need to pursue a two state solution with a secure Israel next to an independent Palestine.
That truth – that each side has legitimate aspirations – is what makes peace so hard. And the deadlock will only be broken when each side learns to stand in each other’s shoes. That’s what we should be encouraging. This body – founded, as it was, out of the ashes of war and genocide; dedicated, as it is, to the dignity of every person – must recognize the reality that is lived by both the Palestinians and the Israelis. The measure of our actions must always be whether they advance the right of Israeli and Palestinian children to live in peace and security, with dignity and opportunity. We will only succeed in that effort if we can encourage the parties to sit down together, to listen to each other, and to understand each other’s hopes and fears. That is the project to which America is committed. And that is what the United Nations should be focused on in the weeks and months to come.
Now, even as we confront these challenges of conflict and revolution, we must also recognize once more that peace is not just the absence of war. True peace depends upon creating the opportunity that makes life worth living. And to do that, we must confront the common enemies of human beings: nuclear weapons and poverty; ignorance and disease. These forces corrode the possibility of lasting peace, and together we are called upon to confront them.
To lift the spectre of mass destruction, we must come together to pursue the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. Over the last two years, we have begun to walk down that path. Since our Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, nearly 50 nations have taken steps to secure nuclear materials from terrorists and smugglers. Next March, a Summit in Seoul will advance our efforts to lock down all of them. The New START Treaty between the United States and Russia will cut our deployed arsenals to the lowest level in a half century, and our nations are pursuing talks on how to achieve deeper reductions. America will continue to work for a ban on the testing of nuclear weapons, and the production of fissile material needed to make them.
As we meet our obligations, we have strengthened the treaties and institutions that help stop the spread of these weapons. To do so, we must continue to hold accountable those nations that flout them. The Iranian government cannot demonstrate that its program is peaceful, has not met its obligations, and rejected offers that would provide it with peaceful nuclear power. North Korea has yet to take concrete steps toward abandoning its weapons, and continues belligerent actions against the South. There is a future of greater opportunity for the people of these nations if their governments meet their obligations. But if they continue down a path that is outside international law, they must be met with greater pressure and isolation. That is what our commitment to peace demands.
To bring prosperity to our people, we must promote the growth that creates opportunity. In this effort, let us not forget that we have made enormous progress over the last several decades. Closed societies gave way to open markets. Innovation and entrepreneurship has transformed the way we live and the things that we can do. Emerging economies from Asia to the Americas have lifted hundreds of millions from poverty. Yet three years ago, we confronted the worst financial crisis in eight decades. That crisis proved a fact that has become clearer with each passing year – our fate is interconnected; in a global economy, nations will rise, or fall, together.
Today, we confront the challenges that have followed that crisis. Recovery is fragile. Markets are volatile. Too many people are out of work. Too many others are struggling to get by. We acted together to avert a Depression in 2009. We must take urgent and coordinated action once more. Here in the United States, I have announced a plan to put Americans back to work and jumpstart our economy, and committed to substantially reduce our deficit over time. We stand with our European allies as they reshape their institutions and address their own fiscal challenge. For other countries, leaders face a different challenge as they shift their economies towards more self-reliance, boosting domestic demand while slowing inflation. So we will work with emerging economies that have rebounded strongly, so that rising standards of living create new markets that promote global growth. That is what our commitment to prosperity demands.
To combat the poverty that punishes our children, we must act on the belief that freedom from want is a basic human right. The United States has made it a focus of our engagement abroad to help people to feed themselves. And today, as drought and conflict have brought famine to the Horn of Africa, our conscience calls on us to act. Together, we must continue to provide assistance, and support organizations that can reach those in need. And together, we must insist on unrestricted humanitarian access so that we can save the lives of thousands of men, women and children. Our common humanity is at stake. Let us show that the life of a child in Somalia is as precious as any other. That is what our commitment to our fellow human beings demands.
To stop disease that spreads across borders, we must strengthen our systems of public health. We will continue the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. We will focus on the health of mothers and children. And we must come together to prevent, detect, and fight every kind of biological danger – whether it is a pandemic like H1N1, a terrorist threat, or a treatable disease. This week, America signed an agreement with the World Health Organization to affirm our commitment to meet this challenge. Today, I urge all nations to join us in meeting the WHO’s goal of making sure all nations have core capacities to address public health emergencies in place by 2012. That is what our commitment to the health of our people demands.
To preserve our planet, we must not put off the action that a changing climate demands. We must tap the power of science to save those resources that are scarce. Together, we must continue our work to build on the progress made in Copenhagen and Cancun, so that all of the major economies here today follow through on the commitments that were made. Together, we must work to transform the energy that powers are economies, and support others as they move down that path. That is what our commitment to the next generation demands.
And to make sure our societies reach their potential, we must allow our citizens to reach theirs. No country can afford the cancer of corruption. Together, we must harness the power of open societies and open economies. That is why we have partnered with countries from across the globe to launch a new partnership on Open Government that helps ensure accountability and empower their citizens. No country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere. And no country can realize its potential if half its population cannot reach theirs. This week, the United States signed a new Declaration on Women’s Participation. Next year, we should each announce the steps we are taking to break down economic and political barriers that stand in the way of women and girls. That is what our commitment to human progress demands.
I know that there is no straight line to progress, no single path to success. We come from different cultures, and carry with us different histories. But let us never forget that even as we gather here as heads of different governments, we represent citizens who share the same basic aspirations – to live with dignity and freedom; to get an education and pursue opportunity; to love our families and our God. To live in the kind of peace that makes life worth living.
It is the nature of our imperfect world that we are forced to learn this lesson over and over again. Conflict and repression will endure so long as some people refuse to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Yet that is precisely why we have built institutions like this that bind our fates together – because those who came before us believed that peace is preferable to war; freedom is preferable to suppression; and prosperity is preferable to poverty. That is the message that comes not from capitals, but from citizens.
When the corner-stone of this very building was put in place, President Truman came here to New York and said: ‘The United Nations is essentially an expression of the moral nature of man’s aspirations.’ As we live in a world that is changing at a breath-taking pace, that is a lesson that we must never forget.
Peace is hard, but we know that it is possible. Together, let us resolve to see that it is defined by our hopes and not our fears. Together, let us work to make, not merely a peace, but a peace that will last. Thank you.

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