Leaders raise various topics from climate change to US-Iran dispute at 2019 UN General Assembly

Other than North Korea, various other global issues were also raised and debated by world leaders at the 2019 UN General Assembly this week.For a brief recap, our Lee Ji-won has this report.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the UN General Assembly debate on Tuesday, and one of the concerns he raised was the conflict in the Middle East.He denounced the recent attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities as "totally unacceptable", and cautioned that the strikes had raised the possibility of military confrontation in the Gulf.Such concerns were also raised by many world leaders,... including U.S. President Donald Trump."In response to Iran's recent attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities, we just imposed the highest level of sanctions on Iran's central bank and sovereign wealth fund. /As long as Iran's menacing behavior continues, sanctions will not be lifted. They will be tightened."To this, Iran's president stood firm, saying that national dignity, pride and strength is all they can rely on."The security of the region shall be provided when American troops pull out. Security shall not be supplied with American weapons and intervention./ On behalf of my nation and state, I would like to announce that our response to any negotiation under sanctions is no."And leaders of other signatories and stakeholders, including French President Emmanuel Macron urged both sides to resolve the issue through dialogue.Concerns on the power game between the U.S. and China were also raised."I fear the possibility of a Great Fracture: the world splitting in two, with the two largest economies on earth creating two separate and competing worlds, each with their own dominant currency, trade and financial rules, their own internet and artificial intelligence capacities, and their own zero sum geopolitical and military strategies."And President Trump once again blasted China for its currency manipulation and forced technology transfers.But there were not just these political issues,... discussions on climate change were also brought up by world leaders.Germany's foreign minister Heiko Maas urged countries that the issue is a matter of war and peace, and a question of the survival of humanity.Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.