Mr. Brown saidbecause the financial, food and energy crises are having a worldwideimpact, they cannot be solved by nations working in isolation andcalled for international cooperation. "We must resist those instinctsthat are protectionist. Now is not the time to pull up the drawbridge.To seek solace in isolation or revert to an outdated and futileprotectionism."
He said in the short-term countries must takeaction to deal with the fall-out of the credit crunch and offeredsupport for U.S. efforts to stem the crisis. In Britain, he said hisgovernment has injected billions of dollars into the market. "We mustdo all it takes to stabilize the still turbulent financial markets,and, in the months ahead, work together to rebuild the world financialsystem around clear principles."
On issues of peace andsecurity, Mr. Brown said Sudan's Darfur region "remains a disaster" andcalled on Khartoum to create the conditions that would allow theconflict to end. He also said justice has to be part of any sustainablepeace.
The prime minister said the task of defeatingterrorists in Afghanistan is hard, but progress is encouraging. And hecalled for standing firm against oppression in Burma and said theinternational community must send a strong signal of its support fordemocracy and human rights in Zimbabwe.
India's Prime MinisterManmohan Singh also addressed the Assembly Friday. He welcomed the newpresident of Pakistan, saying his government is committed to resolvingall outstanding issues between the two neighbors, and said his country,a nuclear power, is committed to non-proliferation. "I reiterateIndia's proposal for a Nuclear Weapons Convention prohibiting thedevelopment, production, stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons andproviding for their complete elimination within a specified time frame."
PrimeMinister Singh also called for a second "green revolution" to addressthe problem of food security, saying new technologies, institutionalresponses and a global compact are needed to ensure enough food.
Haiti'sPresident René Préval, whose country was devastated in recent weeks bytropical storms and hurricanes that claimed some 500 lives, thanked theinternational community for its assistance, but said he worries theconcern is only temporary. He is heard here through a translator: "I amworried because the Haitians run the risk of finding themselves alonein undertaking the real, genuine task today, which is thereconstruction of the country, the rebuilding of our productivecapacity and our social infrastructure."
The General Assemblyannual meeting continues with a special Saturday session, when theforeign ministers of Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria and North Koreaare scheduled to be among those leaders addressing the debate.