Obama vs. Bush, battle of the bilatsNew York (CNN) - President Barack Obama's decision not hold any bilateral meetings with world leaders while in New York to address the United Nations General Assembly is a departure from the last incumbent president to run for re-election. In 2004, while in an election fight with Sen. John Kerry, President George W. Bush held meetings with leaders from Iraq, Japan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. White House press secretary Jay Carney defended the president on Monday, saying he has held "extensive consultations with world leaders, including the leaders of Egypt, Israel, Yemen, Turkey, Libya." "Those consultations will continue, not just with leaders in the region, but with leaders around the world. It is part of the job of being president that that be the case, and he will certainly encounter many leaders tonight in New York as well as tomorrow," Carney said. By avoiding meetings with world leaders the president sidesteps any inadvertent news-making moments. And if Obama were to take a meeting with one ally, that would undoubtedly open the door to other requests. Therefore the president has left the one-on-ones to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will meet with the leaders from Pakistan, Libya, Afghanistan and Egypt among others. President Obama at the UN General Assembly![]() Some highlights of the president's high stakes diplomatic speech Wednesday: On Israel and Palestine:
On Libya:
On the Arab spring:
Did you know.....about the UN General Assembly?![]() The General Assembly is the main deliberative organ of the UN and is composed of representatives of all Member States. The work of the United Nations year-round derives largely from the mandates given by the General Assembly. The United Nations General Assembly meets the third Tuesday of every September and is made up of 193 Member States. The newest member state is South Sudan, which was admitted as a new Member State by the United Nations General Assembly on July 14, 2011. Information from www.un.org U.S. Ambassador to U.N. calls Gadhafi "delusional”WASHINGTON (CNN) –Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi sounds "delusional," the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Monday, adding that "when he (Gadhafi) can laugh when talking to American and international journalists while he is slaughtering his own people, it only underscores how unfit he is to lead and how disconnected he is from reality." The comments by U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice came at a White House briefing. |
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