UN GA president labels Georgia as aggressor, slams U.S.
A new session of the United Nations General Assembly has opened in New York, with a sharp attack on the United States by the assembly's new president.
Former Nicaraguan foreign minister Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann mentioned the United States by name only a few times, but made it clear who his target was.
D'Escoto says it is "undeniable" that some members of the Security Council have "an addiction to war," and he says they are threatening international peace and security. In a scarcely veiled reference to President George W. Bush's administration, d'Escoto also said no nation has the right "to decide on its own which states are sponsors of terrorism, and which are not."
"It is a sad but undeniable fact that serious breaches of the peace and threats to international peace and security are being perpetrated by some members of the Security Council that seem unable to break what appears like an addiction to war," he said.
"By now, over 1.2 million people have died as a direct consequence of that aggression and occupation," d'Escoto said about the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
"They think they can operate the veto power without thinking about the consequences," France Presse quoted the UN GA new president as speaking to a Security Council representative.
Asked by an American reporter whether Russia violated the UN Charter by intruding into Georgia, he said that it was Georgia that committed an act of aggression against South Ossetia and violated UN Charter.
As reported by the UN news center, a team comprising representatives of key United Nations agencies is heading to South Ossetia and other areas affected by the recent conflict in Georgia, the world body announced today, adding that a broader fact-finding mission to the region is also being planned.
The objective of the 17 to 20 September mission "is to gain first-hand knowledge of the humanitarian and human rights situations and needs on the ground, including the position of those displaced by the conflict and other vulnerable groups," according to a statement issued by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates some 192,000 people were forced to flee their homes during the conflict that began on 8 August and involved Georgia, South Ossetian and Russian forces.
The upcoming mission, coordinated with the Russian and Georgian authorities, will visit Moscow, South Ossetia and Tbilisi. The results will feed into the revision of the nearly $59 million humanitarian flash appeal launched by the UN and its partners on 18 August to aid victims of the conflict.
Former Nicaraguan foreign minister Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann mentioned the United States by name only a few times, but made it clear who his target was.
D'Escoto says it is "undeniable" that some members of the Security Council have "an addiction to war," and he says they are threatening international peace and security. In a scarcely veiled reference to President George W. Bush's administration, d'Escoto also said no nation has the right "to decide on its own which states are sponsors of terrorism, and which are not."
"It is a sad but undeniable fact that serious breaches of the peace and threats to international peace and security are being perpetrated by some members of the Security Council that seem unable to break what appears like an addiction to war," he said.
"By now, over 1.2 million people have died as a direct consequence of that aggression and occupation," d'Escoto said about the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
"They think they can operate the veto power without thinking about the consequences," France Presse quoted the UN GA new president as speaking to a Security Council representative.
Asked by an American reporter whether Russia violated the UN Charter by intruding into Georgia, he said that it was Georgia that committed an act of aggression against South Ossetia and violated UN Charter.
As reported by the UN news center, a team comprising representatives of key United Nations agencies is heading to South Ossetia and other areas affected by the recent conflict in Georgia, the world body announced today, adding that a broader fact-finding mission to the region is also being planned.
The objective of the 17 to 20 September mission "is to gain first-hand knowledge of the humanitarian and human rights situations and needs on the ground, including the position of those displaced by the conflict and other vulnerable groups," according to a statement issued by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates some 192,000 people were forced to flee their homes during the conflict that began on 8 August and involved Georgia, South Ossetian and Russian forces.
The upcoming mission, coordinated with the Russian and Georgian authorities, will visit Moscow, South Ossetia and Tbilisi. The results will feed into the revision of the nearly $59 million humanitarian flash appeal launched by the UN and its partners on 18 August to aid victims of the conflict.
