Irish troops in Lebanon are “safe” but the Government is “taking all precautions” to keep them that way, Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said. Speaking outside the headquarters of the United Nations for the general assembly on Tuesday, Mr Martin said peacekeepers and UN agencies are “to the heart and at the forefront of protecting civilians and protecting people more generally”.
“Our thoughts are with our soldiers in what is a very difficult environment to operate within,” he said.
Violence has increased markedly in the past week on the Lebanese side of the border, where Israel killed hundreds of people in strikes on Monday. Mr Martin said he had listened to a “tour de force” speech from United Nations secretary-general António Guterres, who denounced on Tuesday a growing number of governments and other groups who feel they are “entitled to a get out of jail free card”.
“We are in an era of epic transformation – facing challenges unlike any we have ever seen – challenges that demand global solutions,” Mr Guterres said. “Yet geopolitical divisions keep deepening. The planet keeps heating. Wars rage with no clue how they will end. And nuclear posturing and new weapons cast a dark shadow. We are edging towards the unimaginable – a powder keg that risks engulfing the world.
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“Meanwhile, 2024 is the year that half of humanity goes to the polls – and all of humanity will be affected. I stand before you in this whirlwind convinced of two overriding truths. First, the state of our world is unsustainable. We can’t go on like this. And, second, the challenges we face are solvable. But that requires us to make sure the mechanisms of international problem-solving actually solve problems.”
Mr Guterres said Gaza was a “non-stop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it”.
“Look no further than Lebanon. We should all be alarmed by the escalation. Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon – the people of Israel – and the people of the world – cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza. Let’s be clear. Nothing can justify the abhorrent acts of terror committed by Hamas on October 7th, or the taking of hostages – both of which I have repeatedly condemned. And nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. The speed and scale of the killing and destruction in Gaza are unlike anything in my years as secretary general.”
Taoiseach Simon Harris held a number of bilateral meetings with other world leaders throughout the week in New York. Among those he spoke to were Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He also held bilateral meetings with King Abdullah of Jordan, the president of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas, and Mr Guterres.
On Monday night he spoke with former US president Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton; the mayor of London Sadiq Khan; and Gordon and Sarah Brown.
On Tuesday night Tánaiste Micheál Martin was due to attend a transatlantic foreign ministers dinner hosted by US secretary of state Antony Blinken. Green Party Minister Eamon Ryan attended a Europe-US dialogue on climate change.
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