Multiple crises hitting U.N. next month

NEW YORK – When the annual United Nations General Assembly convenes here Sept. 21, a number of high-level political protagonists are expected to take center stage.

U.N. sources confirm to WND that President Barack Obama will be joined by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Russian President Dimitry Medvedev, French President Nikolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron, to name just a few.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas also intends to travel to New York City to meet with Ahmadinejad, who will assist him in pushing the General Assembly to recognize Palestinian statehood. Such a move could cost the Palestinian Authority almost $1 billion in U.S. foreign aid.

Earlier this summer, Congress voted to suspend any future U.S. financial assistance if the Palestinian Authority pushed an "independence" vote at the U.N.

The Palestinian campaign has become so controversial that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to make a rare General Assembly appearance.

According to diplomats, Tehran sees the independence issue as a de facto tug of war with Washington for influence in the region and is expected to pull out all stops next month.

Ahmadinejad sees the ongoing phase-down by the American military in Iraq and Afghanistan as an opportunity for Tehran to replace Washington as the preeminent power in the Mideast.

For Abbas, such a move would reflect an ongoing frustration in not getting the Israeli government to offer substantive concessions to resume the stalled Mideast peace talks.

The Palestinian Authority president is hoping Iran will make good on some of the aid his government might lose by flouting Washington.

But the Israel-Palestine issue is just one of the points of conflict between Washington and Tehran.

At about the same time the fiery Iranian leader arrives in New York, Tehran is expected to bring online one of the world's largest nuclear power stations.

Built by Russia and almost a decade late, the atomic power facility near the Persian Gulf port of Bushehr will be among the top 20 largest complexes in the world, says the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog.

The development comes as Iran continues to ignore warnings and sanctions by the U.N. Security Council, which has accused the mullah-led regime of operating a clandestine atomic weapons program, a charge Tehran denies.

Protests over the Ahmadinejad visit to New York City have already erupted with several local organizations engaging in a campaign to pressure major Manhattan hotels to refuse housing to the Iranian delegation.

The Iranian visit will come as Manhattan observes the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Last year, Ahmadinejad attempted to visit Ground Zero, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg blocked the visit. It is expected Bloomberg will do the same next month.

Another potential flashpoint for the Obama White House could be the presence of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Obama and Karzai have serious differences on the future of any U.S. military presence in the region.

Last year, Karzai snubbed Obama, who expected to meet him in New York City. Karzai canceled his visit only a day before the U.N. debate opened.

And last December, when Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan, Karzai avoided a face-to-face meeting, leaving the U.S. president to accept a video conference from Bagram Airbase instead.

This time around, U.S. and Afghan officials expect the two to meet in person.

One big question is, who will represent Libya?

Two years ago, Col. Muammar Gadhafi made a big splash when he pitched his infamous tent inside the 25-story office building housing Libya's U.N. mission.

Today, the mission has become the source of a tug-of-war between the staff, many of which still support the Gadhafi government, and its two top diplomats who defected to the rebel movement. The issue of who represents Libya may become moot if the rebel movement succeeds in driving Gadhafi from power.

The U.N. gathering may also provide any prospective new government its first international forum to introduce itself.