NYC-WTC_000152373

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Words to a Hurt World; Action, Not Deliberation Following are excerpts fron Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani’s ad dress yesterday to the General Assembly of the United Nations, Look at that destruction, that of New York that we should not as recorded by The New York massive, senseless, cruel loss of allow this to divide us because Times. human life, and then I ask you to then we would really lose what look in your hearts and recognize this city is all about.... On Sept. 11, 2001, New York that there is no room for neutral­ We can’t let terrorists change’ City, the most diverse city in the ity on the issue of terrorism. the way we live. Otherwise they. world, was viciously attacked in You’re either with civilization or will have succeeded. an unprovoked act of war. More with terrorists. On one side is than 5,000 innocent men, women In some ways, the resilience of democracy, the rule of law and life in New York City is the ulti­ and children of every race, reli­ respect for human life. On the gion and ethnicity are lost. other is tyranny, arbitrary execu­ mate sign of defiance to terror­ Among these were people from 80 tions and mass murder. ists. We call ourselves the capital different nations. To their repre­ We are right and they are of the world in large part because- sentatives here today, I offer my wrong. It’s as simple as that. And we’re the most diverse city in the condolences to you as well on be­ by that I mean that America and world. And we’re the home of the half of all New Yorkers who share its allies are right about democra- United Nations. So that spirit of this loss with you. I cy, about religious, political and unity amid all our diversity has This was the deadliest attack — economic freedom. And the ter­ never ever been stronger.... terrorist attack — in history. It rorists are wrong, and in fact evil, Freedom from fear is a basic claimed more lives than Pearl in their mass destruction of hu­ human right. We need to reassert Harbor or D-Day. This was not man life in the name of address­ our right to live free from fear just an attack on the city of New ing alleged injustices. with greater confidence and de­ York or on the United States of Let those who say that we must termination than ever before here America. It was an attack on the understand the reasons for ter­ tn New York City, across Amer­ very idea of a free, inclusive and rorism come with me to the thou-. ica and around the world. With civil society. It was a direct as­ sands of funerals we’re having in one clear voice, unanimously, we sault on the founding^YinciplesTif New York City — thousands — need to say we wili -not give in-to the United Nations itself. and explain those insane, mania­ terrorism. The preamble to the U.N. Char­ cal reasons to the children who ter states that this organization Surrounded by our friends of will grow up without fathers and every faith, we know this is not a exists to reaffirm faith in funda­ mothers and to the parents who mental human rights, in the digni­ have had their children ripped. clash of civilizations. It’s a con­ ty and worth of the human person, from them for no reason at all.... flict between murderers and hu­ to practice tolerance and live to­ We’re a city of immigrants un­ manity. gether in peace as good neighbors like any other city, within a nation and to unite our strength to main­ of immigrants. tain international peace and secu­ Like the victims of the World rity'. Trade Center attack, we’re of ev­ Indeed, this vicious attack ery race, we’re of every religion, places in jeopardy the whole pur­ we’re of every ethnicity. And our pose of the United Nations.... diversity has been our greatest The United Nations must hold source of strength. It’s the thing accountable any country that sup­ that renews us and revives us in ports or condones terrorism. Oth­ every generation — our openness erwise, you will fail in your pri­ to new people from all over ths mary mission as peacekeeper. world. It must ostracize any nation So from the first day of this that supports terrorism. It must attack, an attack on New York, on isolate any nation that remains America, and I believe on the neutral in the fight against terror­ basic principles that underlie this ism. Now is the time, in the words organization. I’ve told the people of your charter, the United Na­ tions Charter, to unite our strength to maintain internation­ al peace and security. This is not a time for further ^With one clear study or vague directives. voice. . . we need The evidence of terrorism’s brutality and inhumanity, of its to say we will not /O 19/C>( contempt for life and the concept of peace, is lying beneath the rub­ give in to ble of the World Trade Center less than two miles from where we terrorism/ meet today.

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