International
Blinken insists US not ‘in the way of diplomacy’ at UN
AFP/Editor
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday insisted the US was “not standing in the way of diplomacy” in the UN by not backing a Security Council statement on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The UN Security Council is due to meet for a fourth emergency session on Tuesday. Washington has so far refused to adopt a declaration calling for a halt to the violence.
China has accused the US government of obstructionism in the Council’s efforts to speak with “one voice.”
But diplomats from US allies have also regretted the stance, as President Joe Biden promised to return America to the multilateral arena after his predecessor Donald Trump distanced the country from international cooperation.
Even though Washington has remained the odd one out in the Security Council, it insists it is seeking an end to the violence between Israel and the Palestinians.
“We’re not standing in the way of diplomacy. On the contrary… we’re exercising it virtually non stop,” Blinken told a Reykjavik press conference when asked about the critique.
Blinken, who was visiting the Icelandic capital ahead of an Arctic Council meeting of foreign ministers on Wednesday and Thursday, stressed that the US was “engaged in quiet, but very intensive diplomacy.”
The US top diplomat added that “the question is, would any given action or any given statement actually advance the goal of ending the violence,” signalling their belief that the drafted UN Security Council resolution could be counter-productive.
“If we think, going forward, that there’s something, including at the United Nations, that would actually effectively advance the objective, we would be for it. But right now we are very focused on this intensive diplomacy with the objective of bringing the violence to an end,” Blinken said.
Blinken recalled that Biden had displayed, for the first time, his support for a possible “ceasefire” between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which continue to exchange bombardments and rocket salvos with no sign of a lull after a week of deadly escalation.
“Our goal remains to bring the current cycle of violence to an end as quickly as possible,” the Secretary of State said.
International
Biden to attend Trump’s inauguration in January
US President Joe Biden will attend the inauguration ceremony of Donald Trump in January, the White House announced on Monday, despite the fact that the Republican did not attend Biden’s inauguration four years ago.
“The president promised that he would attend the inauguration of whoever won the election. He and the First Lady will keep that promise and attend,” said spokesperson Andrew Bates to reporters traveling with Biden on Air Force One.
“He sees it as an important demonstration of commitment to our democratic values and to honoring the will of the people, while we continue to ensure a smooth and effective transition,” Bates added.
Despite describing Trump as a threat to democracy during the election campaign, Biden seeks to facilitate a peaceful transfer of power to the Republican that Trump denied him.
Biden invited the president-elect to the White House just days after the November 5 election, in which Trump defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
The 82-year-old Democrat dropped out of the presidential race for a second term in July and supported Harris after her disastrous performance in a televised debate led Democrats to question her fitness for the office due to concerns over her health and mental agility.
International
Mexico’s Sheinbaum warns Trump: Tariffs won’t stop migration or drug consumption
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum warned Donald Trump on Tuesday that new tariffs will not stop irregular migration or drug consumption in the United States, following the elected president’s threat to impose a 25% tariff on Mexican imports.
“President Trump, it is not with threats or tariffs that the migratory phenomenon or drug consumption in the United States will be stopped,” said the left-wing president while reading a letter she plans to send to the elected president. She also proposed initiating a dialogue.
International
Iran’s Khamenei calls ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu insufficient
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, described the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes as “insufficient” and stated that the prime minister deserves a “death sentence.”
The court, based in The Hague, issued arrest warrants on Thursday against Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas’s military leader Mohammed Deif for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In his first speech since the court issued the arrest orders, Khamenei called the arrest warrant against Netanyahu “insufficient.” He further stated, “These criminal leaders must be sentenced to death,” referring to Netanyahu and Gallant, while addressing a group of Basij volunteers, an Islamist militia that can act as a replacement for security forces.
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