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WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden will use his greatest moment on the international stage at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to defend his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and seek to restore alliances and America’s role in the international community.
The speech will be his first as chairman at the meeting, which will be very different from past meetings with many world leaders choosing to deliver their remarks virtually. Biden will also meet Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in New York and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday evening at the White House.
“America is back,” Biden said in a meeting with the UN secretary general on Monday. “We believe in the United Nations and its value because of the challenges we face today to end Covid-19 and deal with the most serious threat to humanity that we have ever seen, which is all the climate crisis we are going through, which can only find global solutions. No country can do it, no country can do it. “
But the summit comes at a time when some of the United States’ closest relations have been strained following the chaotic troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, which has left NATO allies complaining that they have been excluded from the process and scramble to evacuate their own people as the Taliban took control. . Biden’s decision to leave Afghanistan, arguing that it was no longer in America’s best interests to stay, also makes world leaders question what role the United States will play in the world at the time. future – something Biden should tackle head on.
“The President will essentially get the message across that the end of the war in Afghanistan closed a war-focused chapter and opened a chapter focused on determined, effective and intensive US diplomacy defined by working with allies and partners to resolve issues. problems that cannot be solved. by military force, and which require the cooperation of many nations around the world, ”said a senior administration official.
Some of the challenges Biden plans to tackle include the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, trade and the economy, investments in clean infrastructure, the fight against terrorism, and “vigorous competition with the great powers, but not a new cold war, ”the official said.
Biden also sparked tensions with France, one of the United States’ closest allies, following a security pact with Australia and the United Kingdom that would allow Australia to buy nuclear powered submarines in the United States. The deal sparked fury from France, which had planned to sell its own submarines to Australia.
France said last week it was recalling its ambassadors to the United States and Australia, with French officials saying its Indo-Pacific interests were compromised by the new deal. The White House is organizing an appeal with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the issue, press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday.
On the pandemic, Biden said he would present a new strategy at the meeting to vaccinate the world and call on other countries to step up their efforts. The administration official said the United States will have a series of announcements on additional contributions the United States plans to make to end the pandemic.
The United States plans to host a virtual Covid summit on Wednesday to detail those goals, which will focus on vaccinations, treatments and technologies to help end the pandemic.
“He’s going to call for an effort on the bridge that can end this pandemic much faster than if we allow things to unfold without the kind of energy and focused and sustained effort that are needed,” said the responsible for administration. noted.
Still, Biden is expected to face pressure from world leaders, especially those in low-income countries, who have pleaded with the United States to do more to help the billions of people who have yet to receive their first doses of medicine. a vaccine before providing people in the United States with third shots, which the Biden administration has called for.
The World Health Organization has called for a “moratorium” on recalls, and other international medical groups have lambasted the United States for planning to start distributing a third dose to Americans. According to the WHO, only 20 percent of eligible people in low-income countries have been at least partially vaccinated, compared to around 80 percent in some of the wealthier countries.
The United States has already delivered 140 million doses to nearly 90 countries and plans to distribute an additional 200 million doses by the end of the year.
The United States sought to get ahead of another area of pandemic-related criticism in the run-up to the meeting by announcing on Monday its intention to end a Trump-era travel ban that had held back 33 foreign nationals. countries, including much of Europe, to travel to the United States as a precaution against Covid.
On Monday, the administration said fully vaccinated foreign nationals will be able to travel to the United States with proof of vaccination and a negative Covid test.
This year’s gathering of world leaders will be greatly reduced due to the pandemic. The UN said 83 leaders will make their remarks in person with the rest of the world leaders making recorded remarks. All delegates must be vaccinated to enter the debate room, and masks will be mandatory except when someone is addressing a meeting directly.
CORRECTION (Sept. 21, 2021, 9:15 am ET): A previous version of this article misspelled the first name of the French president. It’s Emmanuel Macron, not Emmanuel.
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