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Speech at UN sees Trump threaten Pyongyang – as it happened

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Trump warns US may have to 'totally destroy North Korea' – video

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Closing summary

As the world’s diplomats prepare for a long night of speeches, we’re going to wrap things up for today. The highlights from today’s morning session:

UN secretary general António Guterres, who took over the international body’s top job in January, began the day by lamenting divisive political discourse and appealing for calmer rhetoric.

Minutes later, Donald Trump, the second world leader to address the assembly, threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea.

In a speech that lasted for just over 40 minutes, the US president, who was making his debut speech to the general assembly, railed against the countries he sees as enemies to the US, primarily North Korea and Iran. He did not mention climate change, which is one of the top issues being discussed at this week’s meeting.

Other leaders, including French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the president of the Switzerland confederation, Doris Leuthard, made critical allusions to Trump’s style of politics. “It’s not walls that protect us, it’s our desire to act,” Macron said.

The morning session concluded with a strong show of support for Trump from Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu, who complimented the president for taking a strong stance against the Iran deal and being welcoming to Israel.

Netanyahu also said: “After 70 years, the world is embracing Israel and Israel is embracing the world”.

The Guardian’s Julian Borger is reporting live from the winding halls of the United Nations headquarters in New York all week, and you can follow him here.

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Peter Beaumont
Peter Beaumont

For better or for worse, it now appears that on the question of Iran – a long term obsession of Netanyahu – Trump and the Israeli prime minister are completely joined at the hip. For the Israeli prime minister, that certainly helps reinforce his standing on the domestic front, but how much it will help him in persuading other members of the international community, especially co-signatories of the Iran nuclear deal who still support it, is more questionable.

The optics in the region of a US president delivering a speech that could have been written by the Israeli embassy, and Netanyahu’s celebration of that speech, may have unanticipated consequences. Israel may also regret associating itself in the future so closely with such a bellicose and contradictory speech by Trump.

Some similarities were striking with both Trump and Netanyahu make common cause with the Iranian people against the regime in Tehran giving an impression at least – whether true or not – that the speeches were in some way coordinated.

Indeed this was a risk that was warned against by Israeli columnist Chemi Chalev ahead of Netanyahu’s speech, referring explicitly to the suspicion that Israel helped push George W Bush to a war against Iraq.

Israel needed many long years to refute the allegation that, together with its neo-conservative lackeys in Washington, it pushed George W. Bush into the war with Iraq, and this at a time when, unlike Netanyahu, then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon maintained a low public profile. If there is a sudden and serious deterioration in relations between Washington and Tehran over the next few weeks, Israel will be hard-pressed to deny that this is what it wanted to achieve all along. When things get complicated, as they always do, it will be easy to point an accusatory finger at Netanyahu and his country.

This brings an end to the morning session, two hours and 20 minutes after it was scheduled to end. This means no two-hour lunch break for the delegates – the afternoon meeting has already been called to order and the president of Mali is taking his turn at the podium.

Netanyahu speaks again of his gratitude towards Trump for recognizing Israel and condemning the Iran nuclear deal. He says no speech “was bolder, none were more courageous and forthright as the one delivered by President Trump.”

He says if the Iran nuclear deal remains, it will result in a situation similar to the one the world is currently facing with North Korea. He says an “Iranian curtain” has descended across the Middle East.

He says he has a simple message for Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: “the light of Israel will never be extinguished”. He continues: “Those who threaten us with annihilation put ourselves in mortal peril”.

But, Netanyahu says, Israel is a friend to the people of Iran. He delivers the message in Farsi as well. He then lists some of the acts the Iranian government perpetrated against its people recently, including the jailing of journalists and the execution of gay men last year.

Netanyahu then brings the speech back to where it began: a celebration of Israel innovation, noting how its technologies and people have helped people around the world.

Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu begins by speaking about how his country is an “innovation nation” in water, autonomous vehicles, agriculture and technology.

In almost the same breath, he says Israel is also very strong on collecting intelligence about terrorism. He says the general public might not know this, but our country’s intelligence agencies do.

He commends Trump for visiting Israel on his first foreign trip as president, then recounts his own trips around the world in the past year, including Australia, Asia, South America and Europe. “After 70 years, the world is embracing Israel and Israel is embracing the world,” he says, garnering a round of applause from the audience.

He makes a joke about wanting to go to Antarctica to see penguins, who he calls supporters of Israel. In response to the ensuing laughter, he says the audience might think it’s a joke, but penguins understand Israel’s conflict with Palestine is a “black and white issue”.

Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says global stability has reduced since last year’s general assembly.

He says Turkey is anxiously watching the development of anti-Muslim sentiment and xenophobia. “We all have to shoulder responsibility for a safer and more prosperous world,” Erdoğan says.

He says Turkey has not received adequate assistance, particularly from the European Union, to provide aid to refugees in the country.

He calls the issue with Palestine “the gaping whole of the world” and encouraged Israel to work toward a two-state solution.

He refers to the attacks on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar as “almost ethnic cleansing”. He said if what’s happening there is not stopped, it will leave a “dark stain” on humanity.

Erdoğan ends by saying regardless of our skin color “our tears are the same”. He urges the group to take action to end “the tears in the world”.

Iran’s foreign minister responded to Trump’s general assembly address on Twitter.

Trump's ignorant hate speech belongs in medieval times-not the 21st Century UN -unworthy of a reply. Fake empathy for Iranians fools no one.

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) September 19, 2017
Peter Beaumont
Peter Beaumont

As Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to deliver his speech, the country’s left-leaning daily Haaretz has posted a video compilation of the greatest hits of the corny stunts and props that Netanyahu has used in his speeches in recent years including the cartoon bomb supposed to show Iran’s progress in its nuclear programme and the somewhat bizarre ‘silent treatment’ he subjected the UN general assembly too.

Haaretz Netanyahu compilation video
Angelique Chrisafis
Angelique Chrisafis

The Guardian’s Paris correspondent, Angelique Chrisafis, is watching Macron’s press conference at the United Nations.

At UN press conference, Macron says it would be "inopportune" to threaten North Korea with military action https://t.co/X505sMTDHT

— Angelique Chrisafis (@achrisafis) September 19, 2017

Macron says of his dealings with Trump - they work well together on certain things (terrorism/Sahel/ME) have disagreements on others

— Angelique Chrisafis (@achrisafis) September 19, 2017

Macron on North Korea: wants "a diplomatic & multilateral response by increasing pressure", sanctions. Against threat of military action

— Angelique Chrisafis (@achrisafis) September 19, 2017

North Korea: Macron against putting any military threat on table because it "risks an escalation", is "complicated"in densely populated area

— Angelique Chrisafis (@achrisafis) September 19, 2017

Macron at UN press conference has a go at the French media "too interested in communication & not interested enough in content"

— Angelique Chrisafis (@achrisafis) September 19, 2017

Now on stage: Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Than.

There are two more people scheduled to speak after him, then the morning session will conclude. It was scheduled to conclude at 1pm.

Up next:

Turkey

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Israel

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Lithuania’s president Dalia Grybauskaitė is speaking before the general assembly. She talks about Russia’s role in spreading “fake news” and says aggression is not a strong diplomatic tool.

“Bullies are weak because they are insecure,” she says.

She continues: “Aggression can never make anyone stronger, it can never earn anyone a drop of respect”.

She ends by saying “we cannot let fear win”.

Colombia’s president Juan Manuel Santos Calderón also speaks passionately in favor of the United Nations.

He says Colombia is concerned about Venezuela, its neighboring country.

Venezuela “pains us,” he says. He calls on the international community to lend support to the people of Venezuela in the search for a “peaceful solution”.

He speaks about how his country melts down weapons and says, as a recipient of the Nobel Peace prize, he believes we should all be working together. “We human being are one, what affects one of us affects all of us,” he says.

He concludes by speaking about an issue he says he can’t ignore, the war on drugs. He says drug policies should emphasize decriminalization “It is time to accept while there is consumption, there will be supply,” he says.

It is his last speech to the general assembly. “With the strength of love, we can overcome fear,” he says.

Venezuela’s foreign minister Jorge Arreaza has responded to Trump’s speech.

Venezuelan reaction also predictable, but Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza apparently thinks he's insulting Trump by comparing him to Reagan pic.twitter.com/tbRHcRJrAM

— Dave Clark (@DaveClark_AFP) September 19, 2017

We do not accept threats from President Trump or whoever in this world. We are people of peace, peaceful people and we want relations of mutual respect. This racist and supremacist theory which he’s exposing, this return to the Cold War, for a moment we didn’t know if we were listening to President Reagan in 1982 or President Trump in 2017

Macron: 'It’s not walls that protect us, it’s our desire to act'

Macron mentions “multilateralism” multiple times in his remarks – a clear rebuke to Trump – then explains at-length why he believes it is so important to the world order. He says multilateralism is needed to improve functions at the UN so countries can better coordinate crisis management.

He returns to the thread about the UN giving world leaders an opportunity to provide a voice for the voiceless.

“The safety of all of us is also our safety,” he says. “Their lives are our lives”.

“It’s not walls that protect us, it’s our desire to act,” he says. Another Trump critique.

“We cannot have on the one hand, one camp that is multilateral and another camp that is unilateral in its approach,” he says, calling again for multilateralism.

At the end of his speech, he is met with enthusiastic applause.

Macron says North Korea poses “an existential threat” and that it’s all the countries responsibilities, including China and Russia, to bring North Korea to the negotiation table.

He pivots from North Korea to Iran, advocating in favor of the existing Iran nuclear deal.

“This is a good agreement, an agreement that’s essential to peace” he says, at a time when there is potential for a “downward spiral”.

Macron says this is a message he has been sharing with the delegations from the US and Iran. More on that, by Julian Borger, here:

More on this story

More on this story

  • Tillerson says Iran is not meeting 'expectations' of nuclear deal

  • Theresa May speaks out against Trump climate change stance at UN

  • Donald Trump threatens to 'totally destroy' North Korea in UN speech

  • A blunt, fearful rant: Trump's UN speech left presidential norms in the dust

  • Trump is conflating Pyongyang with Tehran. The results could be catastrophic

  • US and China agree to 'maximise pressure' on North Korea

  • Trump to UN: confront North Korea and Iran or risk being 'bystanders in history'

  • Donald Trump calls for reform of 'outdated' United Nations – video

  • Aung San Suu Kyi says Myanmar does not fear scrutiny over Rohingya crisis

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