UN chief calls for peace in Gaza

25/10/2024 6:08

        United Nations
        Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told BRICS leaders including
        Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that the world
        needed peace in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan.
        
        "Across the board, we need peace," Guterres said at the
        BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan.
        
        "We need peace in Ukraine. A just peace in line with the UN
        Charter, international law and UN General Assembly resolutions."
        
        Guterres' office later issued a statement saying he had met
        Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS meeting and restating his
        call for peace in line with his address.
        
        The statement said Guterres reiterated his position that
        Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine was "in violation of the
        United Nations Charter and international law".
        
        Guterres, the statement said, also said freedom of
        navigation in the Black Sea was "of paramount importance" for
        Russia, Ukraine and overall food and energy security.
        
        The two men also discussed the "absolute need for a
        ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as the need to avoid a
        further regional escalation".