President Trump told ambassadors from countries on the United Nations Security Council Monday that they were going to be busy tackling problems that the U.N. typically avoids addressing.
“You’re going to be very busy people over the coming months and years,” Mr. Trump said at the opening of a working lunch with the ambassadors at the White House.
“The United Nations doesn’t like taking on certain problems,” he continued, citing the Syrian regimes use of chemical weapons against its people. “I encourage the Security Council to come together to take action on all of these many threats.”
The president also spoke of the rising tensions with North Korea, calling the reclusive communist country “a real threat to the world.”
“North Korea is a big world problem,” he told the ambassadors and their spouses. “People have put blinders on for decades.”
Mr. Trump showed he was willing to project U.S. military power earlier this month with a missile strike against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad after a chemical attack killed at least 90 people, including women and children.
The missile strike strained U.S. relations with Russia, a chief supporter of the Assad regime. Russia also is one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council who have veto authority.
The U.N. Security Council is crucial to the international bodies ability to respond to issues of peace and security. Countries with veto power, however, can hamstring the U.N.
The other permanent members of the Security Council are the U.S., the United Kingdom, France and China. Another 10 seats on the Security Council are filled by countries on a revolving basis. Those non-permanent members do not have veto power.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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