UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon shed his characteristic dour demeanour when he hosted a luncheon for world leaders on Tuesday.

Mr Ban’s speech made the dignitaries laugh when he observed: “Only at the United Nations can Pope Francis and Shakira appear on the same stage within minutes of each other. I didn’t know whether I should pray or dance.”

There was applause after he said football great David Beckham and Hollywood star Michael Douglas were also at the UN and “could make a blockbuster movie with a brilliant sound track. But they were here to make peace”.

The leaders also cheered when the UN chief said “only at the United Nations can so many world leaders, from so many different traditions, with so many different views, break bread together like this today”.

Just minutes ago US President Barack Obama and the Russian leader sparred with each other over their vision for bringing peace to Syria. The two leaders proposed conflicting measures to bring peace to the Middle East.

Mr Obama took a dig at the Russian leader for propping up the Syrian regime of Bashar al Assad. “We see some major powers assert themselves in ways that contravene international law. We’re told that such behaviour is required to beat back disorder and that it’s the only way to stamp out terrorism.”

When his turn on the world stage in a decade came, Mr Putin made precisely that argument. He launched straight into a blistering attack on the US, lambasting its disastrous influence in Syria and across the Middle East.

“We all know that after the end of the cold war, a single centre of domination emerged in the world, and then those who found themselves at the top of the pyramid were tempted to think they were so strong and exceptional they knew better than the rest,” he noted slyly.

SHARIF SKIPS LUNCHEON: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s absence from the luncheon stirred speculations among journalists covering the UN session. Some suggested that Mr Sharif skipped the event because he was not seated at the head table with Barack Obama and Indian Premier Narendra Modi.

Foreign Secretary Aitzaz Chaudhry did his best to explain away Mr Sharif’s absence to journalists at a briefing later in the evening.—M. H. and A. I.

Published in Dawn September 30th, 2015

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