General Assembly Session: In UN speech, Obama to decry movie

The president will make it clear that US will stand strongly for our democratic values abroad, says Jay Carney.

NEW YORK:

In his speech at the UN General Assembly session on Tuesday, US President Barack Obama will address the issue of the anti-Islam video and the violent protests it triggered in the Muslim world.

“The president will make it clear that we reject the views in the video that has caused offence in the Muslim world, while also underscoring that violence is never acceptable – a message that has been echoed by the leaders he has personally reached out to in places like Egypt, Libya and Yemen,” White House spokesperson Jay Carney told reporters on Monday.

“He will also send a clear message that the United States will never retreat from the world. The United States will bring justice to those who harm Americans, and the United States will stand strongly for our democratic values abroad,” said Carney.

The spokesperson added that President Obama would address the fact that, while they were not responsible for the contents of the anti-Islam video, which they have found reprehensible, there is never justification for any kind of violence.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2012.