UNITED
NATIONS (Reuters) - The spotlight will be on Syria when world leaders
gather at the United Nations next week as the United States and Russia
try to shore up a fragile truce deal and President Barack Obama pushes
for a boost in global refugee aid.
Some
135 heads of state and government and dozens of ministers will attend
the 71st General Assembly, the last for both Obama and U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who will step down at the end of 2016
after a decade in the job.
"While
many conflicts are causing enormous pain, none is causing so much
death, destruction and widespread instability as the worsening war in
Syria," Ban told reporters on Wednesday. "Major countries with influence
have a duty to use their influence and seize this latest opportunity to
pursue a political solution."
Members
of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), which includes Russia
and the United States, are likely to meet on the sidelines at the United
Nations on Tuesday, diplomats said, while the U.N. Security Council is
due to hold a high-level meeting on Syria on Wednesday.
Russia
had wanted the council to endorse its Syria truce deal with the United
States during the meeting, but on Friday said a resolution was unlikely
because Washington did not want to share the documents detailing the
agreement with the 15-member body.
White
House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said on Friday he
anticipated many of the U.S. discussions at the United Nations "will
focus on the situation in Syria, the response to North Korea's latest
nuclear test, our shared efforts to combat (Islamic State) with many
U.N. member states."
Nearly
5 million Syrians have fled the country, and some 6.5 million have been
internally displaced during the more than five-year conflict,
contributing to the record 65.3 million people who were uprooted
worldwide last year.
REFUGEE CRISIS
Before
the world leaders begin their traditional speeches on Tuesday, the
193-member General Assembly will meet on Monday to adopt a political
declaration on migrants and refugees. It is not legal binding, does not
include a call by Ban for 10 percent of refugees to be resettled
annually and has been dismissed by human rights groups as insufficient.
The
next day, Obama will host a summit that aims to boost humanitarian
funds by a third and double the number of refugees being resettled
annually. Countries are allowed to participate only if they are making
pledges.
"We
are not going to solve the refugee crisis on Tuesday, but I think you
will see an important show of political will from leaders around the
world," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power told
reporters on Thursday.
On
the sidelines of the week-long U.N. gathering, meetings are planned on
other crises such as South Sudan, Yemen, Iraq and Libya. World powers
also will meet to discuss the implementation of a deal to curb Iran's
nuclear capabilities and the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Ban
is hoping to bring the Paris climate change deal closer to reality with
an event for states to deposit their instruments of ratification or
approval.
The
United Nations said some 20 countries have indicated they will do so.
The deal needs ratification by at least 55 countries representing 55
percent of global carbon dioxide emissions to take effect. So far, 27
nations that produce 39 percent of emissions have ratified it, including
the United States and China, the biggest emitters.
Diplomats
said there is also likely to be gossip in the halls about the race to
replace Ban as secretary-general ahead of the fourth secret ballot by
the Security Council on Sept. 26.
Former
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres finished on top in the first
three polls. When the 15-member council reaches a consensus, it will
recommend a candidate to the General Assembly for election.
U.N.
spokesman Stephane Dujarric said there would more than 1,100 bilateral
meetings between leaders at the United Nations during the next week.
He
summed up the annual gathering: "It's the World Cup of diplomacy. It's
the Oscars of diplomacy. It's also an interesting fashion week."
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