Super bowl of diplomacy: Fun facts on the UN meet

It’s been dubbed the Super Bowl of diplomacy, the Oscars of world statesmanship: the UN General Assembly kicks off yesterday with US President Donald Trump in the spotlight as he makes his first address to the 193nation body. Here are a few fun facts about this year’s gathering:

Who’s coming

There are 90 heads of state, five vice presidents, 39 heads of government, three deputy prime ministers and 52 ministers. At the rostrum for the first time will be Trump as well as France’s Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has been in the top job for nine months. Gambia’s Adama Barrow is making his international debut after trouncing long-serving leader Yahya Jammeh. Among the heavy hitters are Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and British Prime Minister Theresa May.

North Korea gets front-row seat

As luck would have it, North Korea’s Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho is getting a front-row seat at this year’s General Assembly, sitting to the right of the rostrum. Every year, the name of a country gets pulled out of a box to determine the alphabetical order of the seating arrangement. This year’s winner was the Czech Republic, which means the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as North Korea is formally known, got the second seat in the front row.

Beef and potatoes for lunch

Are UN cooks pandering to Trump’s love of meat? One glance at the menu for the state luncheon yesterday and the question does comes to mind. World leaders will enjoy pan-seared Japanese Wagyu beef tenderloin, Yukon gold potatoes, roasted asparagus and baby carrots. The starters include roasted chanterelle mushrooms, haricots and grilled stone fruit served on a bed of lettuce. — AFP