In first UN address, Biden defended the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and expressed support for the two-state solution
US President Joe Biden addresses the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York City
(photo credit: REUTERS/EDUARDO MUNOZ/POOL)
WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden addressed the UN General Assembly in New York for the first time since taking office on Tuesday. He called on world leaders to join forces “to build a better future” and to address joint challenges such as climate change and COVID-19.
He also dedicated parts of his speech to defend the US’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. “I stand here today for the first time in 20 years with the United States not at war. We’ve turned the page,” Biden said. “All the unmatched strength, energy, commitment, will, and resources, our nation are now fully and squarely focused on what’s ahead of us, not what was behind.”
“We’ve ended 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan, and as we close this period of relentless war, we’re opening a new era of relentless diplomacy,” said Biden.
He said that the US is ready to return to the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran if the Islamic Republic would do the same. “The United States remains committed to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon,” Biden said. “We are working with the P5+1 to engage Iran diplomatically, to seek a return to the JCPOA. We are prepared to return to full compliance if Iran does the same.”
He also voiced support for the two-state solution but recognized that we are “a long way from that goal at the moment.”
“The commitment of United States to Israel’s security is without question and our support for an independent Jewish state is unequivocal, but I continue to believe that the two-state solution is the best way to ensure Israel’s future as a Jewish democratic state, living in peace, alongside a viable, sovereign and democratic Palestinian state,” said Biden. “We’re a long way from that goal at this moment, but we must never allow ourselves to give up on the possibility of progress.”
Speaking about the aftermath of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Biden said that “those who commit acts of terrorism against us will continue to find a determined enemy in the United States.”
“The world today is not the world of 2001, though,” Biden noted. “And the United States is not the same country we were when we were attacked on 9/11, 20 years ago. Today, we’re better equipped to detect and prevent terrorist threats and we are more resilient in our ability to repel them and to respond,” he said.
“We’ll meet terrorist threats that arise today and in the future with a full range of tools available to us, including working in cooperation with local partners, so that we need not be so reliant on large-scale military deployments,” he continued.
He went on to say that US military power “must be our tool of last resort not our first and should not be used as an answer to every problem we see around the world.”
Speaking about the COVID-19 pandemic, Biden said that many of the world’s greatest concerns “cannot be solved or even addressed through the force of arms.”
“Bombs and bullets cannot defend against Covid-19 or its future variants,” he said. “To fight this pandemic, we need a collective act of science and political will. We need to get shots in arms as fast as possible and expand access to oxygen, tests, treatments to save lives around the world.”
He called on world leaders to work together to address climate challenges. “To keep within our reach the vital goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius, every nation needs to bring their highest possible ambitions to the table when we meet in Glasgow for COP26,” he said.
