New York - The United Nations should avail itself as an instrument for
a "new world order of the 21st century," French President Nicolas
Sarkozy said Tuesday in his first address to the General Assembly.
Sarkozy, who won the presidency this year on a strong reform platform
to modernize France, urged the world body to embark on programmes
ranging from equal wealth distribution to fighting corruption in his
speech full of references to France's past revolutionary ideals. "In
the name of France, I call upon all states to join ranks in order to
found the new world order of the 21st century on the notion that the
common goods that belong to all of humankind must be the common
responsibility for us all," he told the General Assembly. The
UN should ensure access for all human beings to vital resources, such
as water, energy, food, medication and knowledge, he said. He called
for "more morality" in "financial capitalism" and a fairer distribution
of profits, earnings in commodities, raw materials and new
technologies. "There must be a change of mindset and behaviour," Sarkozy said in a long list of demands to the international community. Known
for his admiration of the United States and its culture, Sarkozy said
France will remain loyal to its friends and the values it shares with
them. But
he warned that loyalty should not be equated with submission, a
reference to Paris' disagreement with the US-led war in Iraq. "What
I want to say to the world is that France, faithful to its friends,
stands ready to talk to all people, on every continent," he said.
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