|
Trending Topics
|
Obama to UN: "We Will Not Tolerate the Development or Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction"
(White House) President Barack Obama told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday: "There must be a strong Security Council resolution to verify that the Assad regime is keeping its commitments [to place its chemical weapons under international control], and there must be consequences if they fail to do so. If we cannot agree even on this, then it will show that the United Nations is incapable of enforcing the most basic of international laws." "It's time for Russia and Iran to realize that insisting on Assad's rule will lead directly to the outcome that they fear: an increasingly violent space for extremists to operate." "We will not tolerate the development or use of weapons of mass destruction. Just as we consider the use of chemical weapons in Syria to be a threat to our own national security, we reject the development of nuclear weapons that could trigger a nuclear arms race in the region." "Americans see an Iranian government that has declared the United States an enemy and directly - or through proxies - taken American hostages, killed U.S. troops and civilians, and threatened our ally Israel with destruction." "America prefers to resolve our concerns over Iran's nuclear program peacefully, although we are determined to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon....We insist that the Iranian government meet its responsibilities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and UN Security Council resolutions." "The United States will never compromise our commitment to Israel's security, nor our support for its existence as a Jewish state....The children of Israel have the right to live in a world where the nations assembled in this body fully recognize their country, and where we unequivocally reject those who fire rockets at their homes or incite others to hate them."