Barack Obama urges world leaders to unite in fight against Islamic State
Barack Obama says United States will be a 'respectful' partner in the fight against Islamic State, and implores Muslims to reject its ideology
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 25 September, 2014, 4:48am
UPDATED : Thursday, 25 September, 2014, 8:13am
Associated Press in New York
US President Barack Obama speaks to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday. Photo: AFP
Declaring the world at a crossroads between war and peace, US President Barack Obama vowed at the UN yesterday to lead a coalition to dismantle an Islamic State "network of death" that has wreaked havoc in the Middle East.
Speaking to the annual gathering of the United Nations General Assembly, Obama said the US would be a "respectful and constructive partner" in confronting the Islamic State (IS) militants through force.
But he also implored Muslims in the Middle East to reject the ideology that has spawned groups like Islamic State and to cut off funding that has allowed that terror group and others to thrive.
"Ultimately, the task of rejecting sectarianism and extremism is a generational task - a task for the people of the Middle East themselves," Obama said. "No external power can bring about a transformation of hearts and minds."
Iraqi SWAT troopers take part in an intensive security deployment during clashes with Islamic State militants, north of Muqdadiyah in Diyala province. Photo: Reuters
The president's remarks came against the backdrop of an expanded US military campaign against IS. A coalition of five Arab nations joined the US this week in the strikes in Syria: Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Obama was scheduled to chair a UN Security Council meeting later yesterday at which members were expected to adopt a resolution that would require all countries to prevent the recruitment and transport of foreign fighters preparing to join terrorist groups such as Islamic State.
The militant threat in the Middle East is just one in a series of global crises that have tested Obama this year.
Russia has repeatedly flouted warnings from the US and Europe to stop its threatening moves in Ukraine.
Obama took on Russia directly in his remarks, accusing Moscow of sending arms to pro-Kremlin separatists, refusing to allow access to the site of a downed civilian airliner and then moving its own troops across the border with Ukraine.
Still, Obama held open the prospect of a resolution to the months-long conflict between Russia and Ukraine. While he has previously expressed scepticism about a fragile ceasefire signed earlier this month, he said yesterday the agreement "offers an opening" for peace.
If Russia followed through on the deal, Obama said the US would lift economic sanctions that have damaged Russia's economy.
The chaotic global landscape Obama described yesterday stood in contrast to his remarks at the UN one year ago. At the time, the US was embarking on another attempt to forge an elusive peace between Israelis and Palestinians and there were signs of a thaw in the decades-old tensions between the US and Iran.
The Mideast peace talks have since collapsed, though the president said yesterday that "as bleak as the landscape appears, America will never give up the pursuit of peace".
