Tue Sep 29, 2015 13:04:04
American President Barack Obama sits down with more than 100 leaders at the United Nations on Tuesday to push ahead with the US-led campaign against the ISIS terrorist group despite Russia’s rival plan.
Russia has been invited to the counter-terrorism summit held a day before Moscow hosts a special UN Security Council meeting on the same issue, two events bound to highlight sharp differences in approach.
The meeting comes a day after Obama clashed with President Vladimir Putin over the crisis in Syria during dueling UN speeches, but said the United States was willing to work with Russia and Iran to end the four-year conflict.
After sending troops and fighter planes to Syria, Putin called for a “broad coalition” to defeat the terrorists.
The counter-terrorism summit takes place a year after Obama stole the limelight at the last UN gathering when he vowed to crush ISIS and called on countries to join the United States in the campaign.
Since then, the terrorists have captured territory in Syria and Iraq and gained a foothold in Libya, Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East, with alliances as far afield as Nigeria’s Boko Haram.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari are among the key speakers at the event, held on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg, whose country was badly shaken by the 2011 massacre of 77 people by right-wing extremist Anders Brieivik, will also address the gathering.
One country that has not been invited is Iran even though it is playing a major role in the fight against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
In his address to the General Assembly, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for a “united front” against the extremists and like Russia, argued that the Syrian government must take part.
“The gravest and most important threat to the world today is for terrorist organizations to become terrorist states,” said President Rouhani; AFP reported.
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