Peace is top priority for next UN chief Antonio Guterres
UNITED NATIONS- Antonio Guterres pledged Thursday to make the pursuit of peace in a conflict-torn world his "over-arching priority" after being elected the next secretary-general of the United Nations.
The former Portuguese prime minister and UN refugee chief told the 193 members of the UN General Assembly who elected him by acclamation that the United Nations has "the moral duty and the universal right" to ensure peace -- and he will be promoting a new "diplomacy for peace" advocating dialogue to settle disputes.
Gutteres said he will do his best before taking the reins of the UN from Ban Ki-moon on Jan. 1 to prepare "to act as a convener, an honest broker, someone trying to bring people together" in conflicts and crises from Syria and Yemen to South Sudan.
"It's high time to fight for peace," he said, and make people understand that whatever divisions exist it's more important to unite and end the suffering because of the risks for countries in conflict and the international community.
