NEW YORK – China, Russia, North Korea, Iran and others are seeking support for a coalition to defend the United Nations Charter against the use or threat of unilateral force and sanctions, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday . The move by 16 countries and Palestinians to create such a group comes as President Joe Biden’s new government increases its multilateral and allied engagement, reversing former President Donald Trump’s preferred unilateral approach while he focused on a policy “America First”. promised to take on China at the United Nations, where Beijing has been pushing for greater global influence in a challenge to traditional US leadership. A concept note for the “Group of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter”, seen by Reuters, states that multilateralism “is currently under an unprecedented attack, which in turn threatens global peace and security”. However, a senior European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, replied: “These so-called friends are the ones who did the most to violate the statute. Perhaps they should start by respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms in their own countries.” Other members The group’s founders are Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, Cuba, Eritrea, Laos, Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Syria and Venezuela. The concept note said that “the world is seeing a growing recourse to unilateralism, marked by isolationist and arbitrary actions, including the imposition of unilateral coercive measures or the withdrawal of historic agreements and multilateral institutions, as well as attempts to undermine critical efforts to face common and global challenges. ”Under Trump, Washington announced plans to exit the World Health Organization, pulled from the UN Human Rights Council, the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, a global climate change deal and a nuclear deal with Iran. But Biden, who took office in January, rescinded the withdrawal from WHO, returned the United States to the climate agreement, returned to commit to Human R, Geneva fights the Council and is trying to enter into the international nuclear agreement again. . (
