Obama: Warning to North Korea and Iran over nuclear threats
Washington (AsiaNews / Agencies) - U.S. President Barack Obama said that "the greatest threat to the American people" is the possibility that nuclear weapons end up "in the hands of terrorists." In his "State of the Union" speech, he issued warnings to North Korea and Iran that "continue to violate international agreements" on nuclear weapons.
A year after his election, Obama devoted his maiden speech in particular to issues of domestic politics, the economic crisis, unemployment, health care reform and says that in 2010, the primary concern of the U.S. will be to create jobs.
Obama apologized for the apparent failure of this first year, attributed to the fact that he took office "in the middle of two wars, the economy suffering from acute recession, the financial system on the verge of collapse and a government deeply in debt”.
Only toward the end of the speech did he deal with themes of international politics, pointing to the "greatest danger to the American people - the threat of nuclear weapons." The United States and Russia - he said - are reducing the arsenals (while ensuring deterrence) and are "finalizing the negotiations for a treaty on arms control, the magnitude of which is the largest of the last 20 years." He added that the Summit on Nuclear Safety in April, 44 nations will gather in Washington with a clear purpose "in four years to ensure vulnerable nuclear materials from falling into the hands of terrorists."
"It is for this reason - he said - that North Korea now faces more isolation and stronger sanctions - sanctions that will be vigorously implemented. And that is why the international community is more united and the Islamic Republic of Iran is more isolated. And if Iran's leaders continue to ignore their obligations, there will be no doubt: they will also face increasing consequences. And that's a promise. "
Obama also emphasized his commitment to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan and Iraq. "In Afghanistan - he explained - we are increasing our troops and training Afghan security forces so that they can begin to take command in July of 2011 and our troops can begin coming home."
And on Iraq, he recalled that "As a candidate, I promised that I would end this war and this is what I'm doing as president. By the end of August will bring all our troops out of Iraq. " "We will continue to work with the Iraqi people - he added - to promote peace and prosperity in the region. But make no mistake: this war is ending and all our troops are coming home. "
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