Yousef Bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen

:: World leaders, including heads of member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), on Sunday began arriving in New York to attend the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

The sessions are scheduled to begin on Tuesday morning amid political crises all over the world with a focus on the Middle East, North Korea and the massacre of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

“Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will deliver a speech at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday,” said a UNGA report, which gives details of the participation of the heads of states in the UN assembly. It said Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has already arrived in New York, where he will also hold talks with US President Donald Trump besides attending the UNGA.

“The details of the participation of the Gulf states in the UNGA will be announced soon,” said an official of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) General Secretariat, on Sunday. He said that individual GCC countries would announce the names of the leaders who will be leading delegations of the respective Gulf states. Also, foreign ministers of the OIC member states are scheduled to hold a coordination meeting in New York before the UNGA starts on Tuesday.

Referring to the high-profile attendance of world leaders at the UNGA, another report said: “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend the UNGA and will also meet with President Trump to discuss key regional and international issues on the sidelines of the General Assembly.” Jordan’s King Abdullah, accompanied by Queen Rania, has already arrived in New York, where he will be leading the Jordanian delegation.

The report said that “the North Korean provocations and the future of Iran’s nuclear agreement are also expected to be discussed on the international platform, in addition to the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.” However, a few leaders will be missing from the General Assembly meeting, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping – both of whom have urged for a de-escalation of tensions between the US and North Korea.

The report said that the spotlight will be on US President Trump and France’s new leader, Emmanuel Macron, who will both be making their first appearance at the General Assembly. They will be joined by more than 100 heads of state, including Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.

Referring to the consultation meeting to be convened by the OIC, a Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report said that the foreign ministers will hold a meeting to discuss issues of interest to the OIC that are on the agenda of the current session of the UNGA. The special ministerial committee on Palestine will also hold a meeting to discuss developments.

The report said that Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has also arrived in New York, where he will address the UNGA and hold talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. A ministerial meeting of the Contact Group on the Rohingya Muslims will also be held in New York within the framework of the OIC. The OIC secretary-general will also hold several bilateral meetings with heads of states to discuss regional and international issues.