President Donald Trump has declared that his country is behind the United Nations “100 per cent” after bashing the global body while delivering his statement at the UN headquarters.
Mr Trump made the declaration at the beginning of a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, following his national address to world leaders in New York.
Mr Trump, while presenting the U.S. national statement, sharply criticised the organisation in its handling of conflicts, irregular migration, and climate change, among others.
The U.S. leader said in spite of his constant criticism of the global body, the “potential for peace with this institution is so great”.
“Our country is behind the United Nations one hundred per cent,” Mr Trump said. “I think the potential of the United Nations is incredible, really incredible. It can do so much. So, I’m behind it. I may disagree with it sometimes, but I am so behind it because I think the potential for peace with this institution is so great. So, I just want to thank you for treating us so warmly. We very much appreciate being with you.”
Mr Trump, who addressed the world’s leaders at the UN headquarters for the fifth time as U.S. President, said it was always an honor to be at the UN headquarters.
He also made reference to the malfunctioning escalator during his visit and the teleprompter when he was delivering his address.
“We’ve done this before, and this was a little more exciting because of the escalator and the teleprompter, but these things happen. “But I will tell you that your people have treated us with great respect,” he said.
Earlier, the UN secretary-general said the U.S. was important in the founding of the UN.
“For decades, we have relied on the United States as our major political and financial supporter, thanks to the generosity of the American people, which we are very grateful about,” he said. “On the other hand, I believe that there are many other areas where we can cooperate in a positive way, and I would think that the most important is peace. You have selected peace as a central objective of your mandate.”
Mr Guterres said Trump had been “going North and South, East and West, in all possible situations, getting, or trying to get, ceasefires”.
The UN chief added that Trump has been “alleviating tensions, making peace agreements, or the building blocks of peace agreements.”
Mr Guterres reassured Mr Trump that the UN’s entire leadership and its teams at all levels are entirely at Mr Trump’s disposal. He said this is “to be able to work together for a just peace in the world, based on our common values and on the constitution of the United States”.
“One thing is for me extremely important; it is that the suffering, the horrible suffering of millions of people in the world can be stopped. We fully appreciate your engagement in that regard,” the UN chief said.
(NAN)
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