Ukraine’s Zelensky tells UN Russia must be forced into peace/node/2572652/world
Ukraine’s Zelensky tells UN Russia must be forced into peace
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot looks on as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a UN Security Council meeting on the conflict between Ukraine and Russia at the UN headquarters in New York City on Sept. 24, 2024. (AFP)
Ukraine’s Zelensky tells UN Russia must be forced into peace
Zelensky has sought the support of Western leaders for what he calls a “victory plan” to end the war
“This war can’t be calmed by talks. Action is needed,” Zelensky said, thanking nations who have provided Ukraine support
Updated 24 September 2024
Reuters
UNITED NATIONS: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday that the war between Russia and Ukraine cannot be calmed by talks alone, but that Russia must be forced into peace.
Zelensky has sought the support of Western leaders for what he calls a “victory plan” to end the war that began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of his country in February 2022.
Zelensky said the war would end one day but not because “someone got tired of the war” or through a trade with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a reference to proposals that Ukraine cede some territory seized by Russia to settle the conflict.
“This war can’t be calmed by talks. Action is needed,” Zelensky said, thanking nations who have provided Ukraine support.
“Putin has broken so many international norms and rules that he won’t stop on his own, Russia can only be forced into peace, and that is exactly what’s needed, forcing Russia into peace, as the sole aggressor in this war, the sole violator of the UN Charter,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine faces an uncertain future. A victory by former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 US election could prompt a reset of Washington’s policy on Ukraine, which relies heavily on US military and financial support. Opinion polls show a tight race.
Zelensky has said that if his plan is backed by the West, it will have a broad impact on Moscow, including a psychological one that could help compel Putin to end the war diplomatically.
Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia spoke up at the meeting to reject the council hosting Zelensky.
“Western countries could not refrain from poisoning the atmosphere once again, trying to fill the air time with the hackneyed Ukrainian issue,” Nebenzia said of the meeting.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the 15-member council that Russia’s war in Ukraine was a clear violation of the founding UN Charter.
“I strongly condemn all attacks on civilians and civilian facilities – wherever they occur and whoever is responsible. They all must stop immediately,” he said. “And I remain deeply concerned about the safety, humanitarian needs and basic human rights of people residing in occupied areas.”
Zelensky’s victory plan sets Ukraine’s terms in a desperate war against Russia
Updated 2 sec ago
KYIV, Ukraine: The victory plan that President Volodymyr Zelensky will present to the White House this week asks the Biden administration to do something it has not achieved in the two and a half years since Russia invaded Ukraine: act quickly to support Kyiv’s campaign. While Western dawdling has amplified Ukraine’s losses, some Ukrainian officials, diplomats and analysts fear Kyiv’s aim to have the plan implemented before a new US president takes office in January may be out of reach. US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, reportedly briefed on the plan, said it “can work” but many privately question how. The specifics of Zelensky’s blueprint have been kept under wraps until it can be formally presented to President Joe Biden, but contours of the plan have emerged, including the need for fast action on decisions Western allies have been mulling since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. It includes the security guarantee of NATO membership, according to Zelensky’s chief of staff Andrii Yermak — a principal demand of Kyiv and Moscow’s key point of contention. Western allies, including the US, have been skeptical about this option. Zelensky has said he will also seek permission to use long-range weapons to strike deep inside Russian territory, another red line for some of Ukraine’s supporters. “Partners often say, ‘We will be with Ukraine until its victory.’ Now we clearly show how Ukraine can win and what is needed for this. Very specific things,” Zelensky told reporters ahead of the trip. “Let’s do all this today, while all the officials who want victory for Ukraine are still in official positions.” Meanwhile, outnumbered Ukrainian forces face grinding battles against one of the world’s most powerful armies in the east. As Zelensky pitches his plan to Biden on Thursday, Ukrainian servicemen will be grappling to hold defensive lines in the key logistics point of Vuhledar in the Donetsk region. For some of them, it is essential that Biden buys into Zelensky’s plan. “I hope that allies will provide us with what we need,” said Kyanin, a soldier fighting in the Donetsk region. “Not 10 or 31 tanks, but a thousand tanks, thousands of weapons and ammunition.” Kyiv sets the terms The victory plan is Kyiv’s response to rising pressure from Western allies and war-weary Ukrainians to negotiate a ceasefire. A deal with Russia would almost certainly be unfavorable for Ukraine, which has lost a fifth of its territory and tens of thousands of lives in the conflict. Unless, Kyiv calculates, its western partners act quickly. Ukraine’s allies have routinely mulled over requests for weapons and capabilities, granting them often after their strategic value is diminished. Under the plan, from October to December, they must dramatically strengthen Kyiv’s hand. The plan comprises military, political, diplomatic and economic elements. Aside from the demand for NATO membership, it seeks to bolster Ukraine’s defenses, including air defense capabilities, enough to force Moscow to negotiate. A request to ramp up sanctions to weaken Russia’s economy and defense industry is also expected. Zelensky has said without elaborating that Kyiv’s military incursion into Kursk, in Russia, is part of the victory plan. That offensive, which embarrassed President Vladimir Putin as the Kremlin scrambled to counterattack, has not yielded any strategic gains. But it has shown the Russian public and doubtful Western allies that Russian is not invincible and Kyiv still has offensive capabilities despite being battered on the eastern front. The cost of inaction Zelensky has described his proposal as “a bridge to the Peace Summit” that he has proposed for November but that Russia says it will not attend. No international players capable of swaying Moscow agreed to his earlier 10-point peace plan, which calls for the full withdrawal of Russian forces. Ukrainian presidential advisers and lawmakers have told The Associated Press that Kyiv will only agree to a ceasefire with Russia if Putin’s ability to invade the country again is crippled. Any other arrangement would not benefit Ukraine’s future or honor the sacrifices of its people. Ukrainian officials have rejected competing proposals from China and Brazil, believing they would merely pause the war and give Moscow time to consolidate its battered army and defense industry. “It will lead to a freezing of the conflict, nothing more: Occupied territories are considered occupied. Sanctions against Russia remain. The intensity of war drops significantly but it continues,” said one presidential adviser, who requested anonymity to speak freely. He predicted that Moscow would recalibrate and attack again, likely from Mykolaiv and Odesa in the south, “within two, three, four years, or maybe even earlier, depending on the state of Russia. That’s the scenario.” Russia’s conditions for ending the war are spelled out in a 17-page draft agreement penned in April 2022. The time element Prolonging the status quo will only play into Russia’s hands in the long-term, analysts said. “Ukraine will lose more than 1,000 square kilometers (600 miles) by the end of the year,” if current conditions continue, said Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military analyst for Information Resistance, a Kyiv-based think tank. “We need to understand that if (allies) don’t defend Ukraine, it will make this war last for many more years, and finally, make it possible for us to lose the war,” he said. Time will also allow Russian forces to build up its weapons industry, as it did at a frightening pace in the last year, said Kovalenko. “We lack every kind of weapon, and Russia produces their weapons 24 hours a day,” Kovalenko said. Russia has updated its aerial glide bombs, for which Ukraine has no effective countermeasure. They now weigh 3,000 pounds, which is six times bigger than when they were first used in the battle for Bakhmut in 2022, he said. Soldiers in eastern Ukraine and analysts said long-range Western weapons would be the most effective countermeasure against glide bombs, which have been deployed along the frontline, including in Vuhledar. The mining town’s fall would compromise supply lines feeding the southern front and strike a devastating blow to Ukrainian morale. In his final address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Biden urged Ukraine’s backers to stand firm. “We cannot grow weary,” he said. “We cannot look away.”
Macron presses Iran president for Lebanon de-escalation
France's Macron tells Iranian president improved ties depend on fate of nationals held in Iran
Updated 25 September 2024
AFP
UNITED NATIONS, United States: French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday pressed Iran's new president to use his influence to dial down soaring tensions in Lebanon, where Israel is striking Tehran-backed Hezbollah.
Macron met with Masoud Pezeshkian, a self-styled reformist in a cleric-run state which Israel sees as its archenemy, on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly as casualties mounted in Lebanon.
Macron "highlighted the responsibility of Iran to support a general de-escalation and use its influence with destabilizing actors," an Elysee statement said, in a clear reference to Hezbollah.
Macron has already spoken twice by telephone with Pezeshkian as tensions rose between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militant movement backed by Iran.
On August 7, Macron urged the Iranian president to avoid reprisals and work to prevent a military escalation after Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh died in a presumed Israeli operation as he visited Tehran for Pezeshkian's inauguration.
Pezeshkian on Monday cast Israel as seeking conflict, saying Iran held back on retaliating after Western powers spoke of progress in reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.
Macron also pressed Pezeshkian after Western nations said Tehran supplied missiles to Russia, leading European powers to impose sanctions that targeted air links.
Macron "warned the Iranian president against the Islamic republic's continuation of support for Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine," the Elysee said.
Pezeshkian, in his meeting with reporters, denied that Iran supplied missiles to Russia and said that his country opposed Moscow's "aggression" against its neighbor.
Pezeshkian has cast himself as a moderate. The United States has publicly voiced skepticism about dealing with him, doubting how much influence he carries in a system where Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ultimately calls the shots.
Macron also asked for the release of three French nationals imprisoned in Iran.
Missouri executes a man for the 1998 killing of a woman despite her family’s calls to spare his life
The Department of Corrections released a brief statement that Williams had written ahead of time, saying: “All Praise Be to Allah In Every Situation!!!”
Updated 25 September 2024
AP
BONNE TERRE, Missouri: A Missouri man convicted of breaking into a woman’s home and repeatedly stabbing her was executed Tuesday over the objections of the victim’s family and the prosecutor, who wanted the death sentence commuted to life in prison.
Marcellus Williams, 55, was convicted in the 1998 killing of Lisha Gayle, who was stabbed during the burglary of her suburban St. Louis home.
Williams was put to death despite questions his attorneys raised over jury selection at his trial and the handling of evidence in the case. His clemency petition focused heavily on how Gayle’s relatives wanted Williams’ sentence commuted to life without the possibility of parole.
“The family defines closure as Marcellus being allowed to live,” the petition stated. “Marcellus’ execution is not necessary.”
As Williams lay awaiting execution, he appeared to converse with a spiritual adviser seated next to him. Williams wiggled his feet underneath a white sheet that was pulled up to his neck and moved his head slightly while his spiritual adviser continued to talk. Then Williams’ chest heaved about a half dozen times, and he showed no further movement.
Williams’ son and two attorneys watched from another room. No one was present on behalf of the victim’s family.
The Department of Corrections released a brief statement that Williams had written ahead of time, saying: “All Praise Be to Allah In Every Situation!!!”
Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said he hoped the execution brings finality to a case that “languished for decades, revictimizing Ms. Gayle’s family over and over again.”
“No juror nor judge has ever found Williams’ innocence claim to be credible,” Parson said in a statement.
The NAACP had been among those urging Parson to cancel the execution.
“Tonight, Missouri lynched another innocent Black man,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement.
It was the third time Williams faced execution. He got reprieves in 2015 and 2017, but his last-ditch efforts this time were futile. Parson and the state Supreme Court rejected his appeals in quick succession Monday, and the US Supreme Court declined to intervene hours before he was put to death.
Last month, Gayle’s relatives gave their blessings to an agreement between the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney’s office and Williams’ attorneys to commute the sentence to life in prison. But acting on an appeal from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office, the state Supreme Court nullified the agreement.
Williams was among death row inmates in five states who were scheduled to be put to death in the span of a week — an unusually high number that defies a yearslong decline in the use and support of the death penalty in the US The first was carried out Friday in South Carolina. Texas was also slated to execute a prisoner on Tuesday evening.
Gayle, 42, was a social worker and former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter. Prosecutors at Williams’ trial said he broke into her home on Aug. 11, 1998, heard the shower running and found a large butcher knife. Gayle was stabbed 43 times when she came downstairs. Her purse and her husband’s laptop were stolen.
Authorities said Williams stole a jacket to conceal blood on his shirt. His girlfriend asked him why he would wear a jacket on a hot day. She said she later saw the purse and laptop in his car and that Williams sold the computer a day or two later.
Prosecutors also cited testimony from Henry Cole, who shared a cell with Williams in 1999 while Williams was jailed on unrelated charges. Cole told prosecutors that Williams confessed to the killing and provided details about it.
Williams’ attorneys responded that the girlfriend and Cole were both convicted of felonies and wanted a $10,000 reward. They said that fingerprints, a bloody shoeprint, hair and other evidence at the crime scene didn’t match Williams’.
A crime scene investigator had testified the killer wore gloves.
Questions about DNA evidence also led St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell to request a hearing challenging Williams’ guilt. But days before the Aug. 21 hearing, new testing showed that DNA on the knife belonged to members of the prosecutor’s office who handled it without gloves after the original crime lab tests.
Without DNA evidence pointing to any alternative suspect, Midwest Innocence Project attorneys reached a compromise with the prosecutor’s office: Williams would enter a new, no-contest plea to first-degree murder in exchange for a new sentence of life in prison without parole. A no-contest plea isn’t an admission of guilt but is treated as such for the purpose of sentencing.
Judge Bruce Hilton signed off, as did Gayle’s family. But Bailey appealed, and the state Supreme Court blocked the agreement and ordered Hilton to proceed with an evidentiary hearing, which took place last month.
Hilton ruled on Sept. 12 that the first-degree murder conviction and death sentence would stand, noting that Williams’ arguments all had been previously rejected. That decision was upheld Monday by the state Supreme Court.
Attorneys for Williams, who was Black, also challenged the fairness of his trial, particularly the fact that only one of the 12 jurors was Black. Tricia Bushnell of the Midwest Innocence Project said the prosecutor in the case, Keith Larner, removed six of seven Black prospective jurors.
Larner testified at the August hearing that he struck one potential Black juror partly because he looked too much like Williams — a statement that Williams’ attorneys asserted showed improper racial bias.
Larner contended that the jury selection process was fair.
Williams was the third Missouri inmate put to death this year and the 100th since the state resumed use of the death penalty in 1989.
Gunman suspected of trying to kill Trump charged with attempted assassination
Updated 25 September 2024
AFP
MIAMI: The gunman accused of planning to kill Donald Trump at his Florida golf course was indicted Tuesday on three additional counts, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, the US Department of Justice announced.
The indictment for Ryan Routh was issued by a grand jury in Miami, according to the Department of Justice, and court documents indicated that the case was assigned at random to Judge Aileen Cannon — a Trump appointee who stopped criminal proceedings against the former president over his retention of top-secret documents at his private residence.
Under a 2023 agreement, Brussels has given 105 million euros ($116 million) to debt-ridden Tunis to help it curb irregular migration, in addition to 150 million euros in budgetary support
Already in May, the EU admitted to a “difficult situation” after a journalism consortium said Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania — which have struck similar deals — were dumping migrants in the desert, using the bloc’s funds
Updated 25 September 2024
AFP
BRUSSELS, Belgium: The European Union said Tuesday it expected Tunisia to investigate allegations that police have beaten and raped migrants, putting further scrutiny on an EU deal with the country to stem irregular migration.
The 27-nation bloc has struck controversial migration agreements with Tunisia and other African countries with questionable human rights records, providing funds to help them curb small-boat crossings to Europe.
In the latest of a series of investigations to spotlight alleged abuses in the region, British newspaper The Guardian last week reported that officers from Tunisia’s national guard had committed “widespread sexual violence” against vulnerable migrant women bound for Europe.
“Tunisia is a sovereign country, so when there’s any allegations of wrongdoing concerning their security forces, then of course, as partners of Tunisia, we would expect them to duly investigate these cases,” a European Commission spokeswoman told reporters.
EU funding for migration programs in Tunisia was channelled through international organizations, EU member states and NGOs working on the ground, the spokeswoman added, denying the bloc was directly supporting Tunisia’s national guard — singled out in the Guardian report.
Tunisia is one of the main launching points for boats carrying migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean to seek better lives in Europe.
Most head for Italy, in particular its island of Lampedusa.
Under a 2023 agreement, Brussels has given 105 million euros ($116 million) to debt-ridden Tunis to help it curb irregular migration, in addition to 150 million euros in budgetary support.
The deal, strongly supported by Italy’s hard-right government, aimed to bolster Tunisia’s capacity to prevent boats leaving its shore, with some money also going to UN agencies assisting migrants.
It has contributed to a marked drop in crossings.
Between January 1 and September 2024, 47,455 migrants arrived in Italy via boat, down 64 percent on 2023 when 133,070 people reached Italian shores over the same period, according to the interior ministry.
But rights groups such as Human Rights Watch have decried the agreement.
HRW last year said migrants in Tunisia faced violence and arbitrary detentions, adding it had documented abuses by the coast guard, including beatings and leaving people adrift.
The EU’s ombudsman has opened an investigation into how the commission intends to ensure that human rights are respected under the agreement. The ethics watchdog is expected to publish its findings in the coming weeks.
Already in May, the EU admitted to a “difficult situation” after a journalism consortium said Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania — which have struck similar deals — were dumping migrants in the desert, using the bloc’s funds.
On Tuesday the commission said it was working to establish a “more structured dialogue with partner authorities” to set up a “comprehensive rights-based migration management system.”
“Migration management has to be done in compliance with human rights,” said commission spokeswoman Ana Pisonero.
“There’s international obligations on this and we expect our Tunisian partners, as the rest of our partners, to comply with these.”
