President Barack Obama pauses as he waits for the translation of his
remarks during a bilateral meeting with Lebanese President Michel
Suleiman, not shown, at the United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept.
24, 2013.
"Given President Rouhani's stated
commitment to reach an agreement, I am directing John Kerry to pursue
this effort with the Iranian government, in close coordination with the
European Union, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and China," Obama said regarding diplomatic path with Iran. Image: Pablo Martinez Monsivais
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, left, speaks during the
68th session of the General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Tuesday,
Sept. 24, 2013.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
urged world leaders on Tuesday to stop fueling the bloodshed in Syria
with weapons and get both sides to the negotiating table to end the
"biggest challenge to peace and security in the world." Image: Seth Wenig
French President François Hollande speaks during his address to the 68th
Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday Sept. 24,
2013 at U.N. headquarters. Hollande told the United Nations Tuesday that despite a Russian-brokered deal for Damascus to hand over its chemical weapons, “coercive measures” must be taken if the regime failed to live up to its side of the agreement.
Brazilian President
Dilma Rousseff used her position as the opening speaker at the U.N.
General Assembly to accuse the United States of violating human rights
and international law through espionage that included spying on her
email. "Tampering in such a manner in the lives and affairs of other countries is a breach of international law and, as such, it is an affront to the principles that should otherwise govern relations among countries, especially among friendly nations," Rousseff told the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. Image: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
John Ashe, President of the 68th General Assembly, addresses the opening of the General Debate. “Effective multilateralism takes dogged determination and a commitment
to negotiate and work cooperatively, especially if the quest is to
evolve towards a shared consensus that is both broad and lasting,” John
W. Ashe told heads of State and Government and other high
representatives gathered for the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly
in New York. UN Image: Rick Bajornas
President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria addresses the United Nations General Assembly. The President of Nigeria, which is seeking election for one of the five
non-permanent seats on the Council during 2014 and 2015, today issued a
call for democratization of the body for the “enthronement of justice,
equity and fairness” and the “promotion of a sense of inclusiveness and
balance in our world.”
President Sebastian Piñera of Chile. “We join in the appeals to countries with the right of veto to refrain
from exercising that right in situations of crimes against humanity, war
crimes, genocide or ethnic cleansing, since doing so prevents the
Council from effectively defending the most fundamental values and
principles of mankind,” he told the General Assembly on the first day of
its annual General Debate. “Basically, if we advocate democracy, dialogue and participation when we
govern our countries, I see no reason not to apply these same
principles and values when we take decisions affecting the whole world.” UN Photo/Amanda Voisard
An illustration as he describes his concerns over Iran's nuclear
ambitions during his address to the 67th session of the United Nations
General Assembly at U.N. headquarters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu provided the U.N. with a memorable moment with a cartoon bomb a
year ago, and he can be expected to again call for a hard line against
Iran's nuclear program backed by the credible threat of force. But the
goalposts have moved a little: some at the General Assembly's annual
meeting will be calling for a more nuanced approach by the world in
response to the emergence of a moderate Iranian president. Image: AP
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