UN chief: 'epochal' crisis as world powers meet remotely

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the U.N.'s first-ever virtual meeting of global leaders Tuesday that the world is facing an 'œepochal'ť health crisis, the biggest economic calamity and job losses since the Great Depression, threats to human rights - and the risk of a new Cold War between the U.S. and China.

In his bleak state of the world speech to the U.N. General Assembly's annual high-level meeting, the U.N. chief said that the coronavirus that 'œbrought the world to its knees'ť was but 'œa dress rehearsal for the world of challenges to come.'ť

He called for global unity, first and foremost to fight the pandemic, and sharply criticized populism and nationalism for failing to contain the virus, and for often making things worse.

Days after the pandemic shut down big parts of the world in March, Guterres called for a global cease-fire to tackle it. On Tuesday, he appealed for a 100-day push by the international community, led by the Security Council, 'œto make this a reality by the end of the year.'ť

'œAt the same time, we must do everything to avoid a new Cold War," Guterres added.

Reiterating a warning he made to world leaders a year ago about increasing U,S.-China rivalrly, Guterres said, 'œWe are moving in a very dangerous direction.'ť

'œOur world cannot afford a future where the two largest economies split the globe in a Great Fracture - each with its own trade and financial rules and internet and artificial intelligence capacities,'ť Guterres said. 'œA technological and economic divide risks inevitably turning into a geo-strategic and military divide. We must avoid this at all costs.'ť

The rivalry between the two powers was in full display as U.S. President Donald Trump began his very short virtual speech attacking 'œthe China virus.'ť He urged the United Nations to hold Beijing 'œaccountable'ť for failing to contain COVID-19, which originated in China and has killed 200,000 Americans and nearly 1 million around the world.

Soon after, China's ambassador rejected all accusations against Beijing as baseless.

'œAt this moment, the world needs more solidarity and cooperation, and not a confrontation," U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun, sitting in the General Assembly chamber, said before introducing President Xi Jinping's pre-recorded speech. 'œWe need to increase mutual confidence and trust, and not the spreading of political virus. China resolutely rejects the baseless accusation against China."

In his appeal for a global cease-fire, Guterres said ending wars in the Middle East and Africa is critical to defeating the coronavirus.

'œThere is only one winner of conflict during a pandemic: the virus itself,'ť he said.

Guterres said armed movements from Cameroon to Colombia, the Philippines and beyond responded to his original appeal even if several cease-fires they announced didn't last. But there are reasons to be hopeful, he said, pointing to a new peace agreement in Sudan, the launch of Afghan peace negotiations, and cease-fires largely holding in Syria's Idlib province, Ukraine and elsewhere.

The U.N. chief delivered his speech in the vast General Assembly Hall, where only one mask-wearing diplomat from each of the U.N.'s 193 member nations was allowed, spread out in the chamber.

'œIn a world turned upside down, this General Assembly Hall is among the strangest sights of all," Guterres said. 'œThe COVID-19 pandemic has changed our annual meeting beyond recognition. But it has made it more important than ever."

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, whose country by tradition is the first speaker, trumpeted his focus on the economy in dealing with the pandemic, lambasting 'œsegments of the Brazilian media'ť for 'œspreading panic'ť by encouraging stay-at-home orders and prioritizing public health over the economy.

'œThey almost brought about social chaos to the country. But our administration, in a bold step, put in place several economic measures that prevented a greater evil,'ť he said, pointing to various relief programs.

Brazil has reported the second-highest coronavirus death toll after the United States, with over 136,000 dead, according to statistics collected by Johns Hopkins University.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the start of the pandemic 'œwhere countries were left on their own,'ť stressing that 'œeffective multilateralism requires effective multilateral institutions.'ť He urged rapid implementation of 'œcomprehensive and meaningful reforms, starting with the restructuring of the Security Council,'ť the U.N.'s most powerful body with five veto-wielding members -- the U.S., China, Russia, Britain and France.

The General Assembly's annual meetings traditionally serve as a platform for countries to tout accomplishments, seek support, stoke rivalries and express views on global priorities.

This year, the platform is online, and there is a pressing new priority in the pandemic that has killed over 960,000 people worldwide.

The virus was first detected in Wuhan, China, late last year. After building field hospitals and imposing a draconian 76-day lockdown to battle the virus there, China has said of late that it is seeing relatively few cases, mostly among people arriving from other countries. China, the world's most populous nation, has reported over 4,700 deaths.