Antonio Guterres

UN chief defends Iran deal after Trump demands changes

United Nations - Muslimchronicle

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday warned that any bid to address concerns about Iran should not jeopardize the hard-won nuclear deal after US President Donald Trump demanded changes to the accord. The United States is concerned the deal, thrashed out over 12 years of talks, does nothing to punish Iran over its ballistic missile programme, interference in regional conflicts or human rights abusesRead more

Syrian opposition wants US to weigh in and counter Russia

United Nations - Muslimchronicle

Syria's opposition is hoping to persuade the US administration this week to throw its weight behind UN-led peace talks and counter Russia's bid to set up a parallel track, its lead negotiator said Tuesday. After meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York, opposition leaders are heading to Washington on Tuesday for meetings to shore up the Geneva talks, which areRead more

UN chief welcomes reopened Korean hotline

United Nations - Muslimchronicle

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday welcomed the reopening of a hotline between North and South Korea, and voiced hope for more diplomatic initiatives to end the peninsula's nuclear standoff. North and South Korea earlier Wednesday reopened the communication channel that had been shut since 2016, following an offer from North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un to send a team to nextRead more

UN 'regrets' deaths in Iran, calls for respect

Tehran - Muslimchronicle

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday expressed his "regret" at the rising death toll in anti-government protests in Iran, and called on the Islamic Republic to respect the rights of peaceful protesters. Tehran said 21 people had died in clashes across the country as thousands of people took to the streets. Police have arrested hundreds of demonstrators. "We regret theRead more

UN’s Guterres issues year-end ‘red alert’ for a world divided

United Nations - Muslimchronicle

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday issued a year-end “red alert” to a world he said faces the perils of inequality, nationalism, xenophobia and possibly even nuclear war unless it works to resolve its differences. “When I took office one year ago, I appealed for 2017 to be a year for peace,” he said in his New Year’s message. “Unfortunately,Read more

UN chief Guterres hails 'peaceful conduct' of Liberia election

United Nations - Muslimchronicle

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday hailed the "peaceful conduct" of Liberia's presidential run-off election, which pitted former international footballer George Weah against Vice President Joseph Boakai. "The Secretary-General welcomes the peaceful conduct of the second round of the presidential election in Liberia," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. "He commends the government, political parties and people of LiberiaRead more

US hails $285 million UN budget cuts as ‘step in right direction’

United Nations - Muslimchronicle

The United States on Sunday applauded a $285-million-cut in the UN core budget, saying it was "a big step in right direction." The General Assembly adopted a budget of $5.396 billion for 2018-2019, slightly below the $5.4 billion that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had sought. The United States is by far the largest contributor to the UN budget, providing forRead more

Don't sleepwalk into war over N. Korea, warns UN boss

Tokyo - Muslimchronicle

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres Thursday warned the world against "sleepwalking into war" over North Korea, as he called for diplomatic efforts to banish nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula. Speaking on a visit to Japan, Secretary-General Guterres said: "The worst possible thing that could happen would be for us all to sleepwalk into a war that might have veryRead more