UN General Assembly highlights from American nations

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - Leaders of American nations have used the 74th UN General Assembly meetings as an opportunity to advance their national agendas during the high level debates that ended on Monday.

U.S. President Donald Trump urged leaders to embrace nationalism, saying "the future does not belong to globalists but to patriots."

"The future belongs to sovereign and independent nations who protect their citizens, respect their neighbors and honor the differences that make each country special and unique,” Trump said.

On Iran, he called on the world to fall behind the U.S.’s bid to heap pressure on Tehran, whom he accused of fueling "tragic wars" in Yemen and Syria.

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro blamed activities of non-governmental organizations for deforestation in Amazon and contended the rainforest is not being "consumed by fire."

"It is a fallacy to say that the Amazon is the heritage of humankind, and a misconception, as confirmed by scientists, to say that our Amazonian forests are the lungs of world. Using these fallacies, certain countries instead of helping, embarked on the media lies and behaved in a disrespectful manner and with a colonialist spirit," Bolsonaro said.

Deforestation in the Amazon is "directly linked" to illegal armed groups seeking territories to "engage in their illicit activities, which are financed by drug trafficking,” said Colombian President Ivan Duque, throwing his support behind Bolsonaro.

Duque also said he supports the peace process reached in 2016 after 50 years of conflict with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Colombia is confident to overcome violence through law, he added.

For his part, Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno, as being the the fifth nation in the world to ratify the 18 UN conventions for the protection of human rights, said a "definitive UN solution" needed in Venezuela to solve ongoing economic and politic crisis in the country.

Venezuelan migrants are the "victims of the worst exodus of the continent," he said, and adds his country hosts 500,000 of them.

Uruguay Foreign Minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa expressed concern about the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and condemned Washington for "illegal sanctions and blockade" against Cuba.

He said only dialogue can solve Venezuela crisis, not "foreign intervention that increases devastation."

While, Haiti's President Jovenel Moise emphasized his country will not be able to recover from poverty without a "substantial, sustained, sustainable, coherent, well-coordinated and effective support from the international community", urging UN to live up to its sustainable development goals.

- Unilateral actions must be avoided

Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said his government rejects "rampant unilateralism being enacted by certain nations" and will work to strengthen "multilateralism" throughout the world.

"We have to be aware that white supremacy, the idea of wiping out civilizations" are already taking place and have "obvious connections" to politicians who promote them, said Ebrard, referring to the Walmart mass shooting in early August, where a white supremacist killed 22 people, including Mexicans, in the U.S. state of Texas.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez called opposition leader Juan Guaido "an imperial puppet" from UN rostrum, referring to the power battle that began at the beginning of the year to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

"He is a criminal element who has been introduced to breach the peace in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela," she said.

Rodriguez stressed countries that recognized Guaido's self-proclamation made "one of the worst mistakes in their diplomatic history."

She slammed U.S sanctions and charged Washington’s "economic war" against Venezuela caused a $130 billion loss to the country's economy between 2015 and 2018.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla also condemned the U.S. for imposing blockades and other "criminal, non-conventional measures" that are hindering his country’s progress.

Rodriguez reaffirmed Cuba's support for "the legitimate Venezuelan government" headed by Maduro and blamed the U.S. for "the encouragement of coup d’etats in the country, failed assassination of the country’s leaders, economic warfare and sabotage to power plants."

Nicaragua's Foreign Minister Denis Moncada Colindres warned the UN goals of 2030 Agenda will only be attainable if the "unilateral coercive measures that also violate international laws and human rights" disappear.