The United Nations General Assembly's (UNGA) 72nd session started a bit earlier than the official scheduled date, which was supposed to be 19 September. World leaders began arriving a couple of days earlier in New York for pre-Assembly meetings, with all wanting to have the upper hand to pursue their own goals ahead of the official opening day and of course to make efforts to meet US President Donald Trump. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived on Sunday at noon, followed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, making them the early birds of the UNGA meeting. For each of these world leaders, there were important matters that perhaps needed earlier consultations with UN staff, the US administration and other officials ahead of Trump's speech on 19 September. From the Iranian point of view, saving the country's nuclear deal with the West from the looming threats issued by the US president is important. For Israel, the presence of Iranian forces in Syria and anger over the terms of the Iran nuclear deal will be main issues in Netanyahu's meeting with Trump. For Turkey, the matter of the referendum on the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan and sour relations with NATO allies will be important, as will Turkish attempts to join the EU. Erdogan will also want to discuss the Syrian crisis with UN officials and the Iranians and the Russians. For President Al-Sisi, there is the issue of reconciliation between the Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah, with the negotiations supposed to be hosted in Egypt. There is also the crisis in the Gulf and the fight against terrorism, all of which have caused him to arrive early in New York. Among the early arrivals is the Emir of Qatar Tamim Al-Thani, who arrived a few days earlier since the future of his nation has been called into question by the Arab Quartet. The Gulf diplomatic crisis will be at the core of discussions between Qatar and the US. Ending the Qatar crisis at this UNGA would be a significant achievement for Trump if he can use his influence with the US's Gulf allies. Much is going on at the UN this year, making it hard for diplomats to keep up and with the crisis over North Korea being the main and most difficult topic at this year's UNGA meeting. Diplomacy continues ahead of the UNGA opening day, but the negotiations will doubtless shift as soon as Trump delivers his speech. From Myanmar to North Korea, Iran to Syria, and Hamas and Hizbullah in Lebanon, all are said to be in Trump's sights, and there is no lack of efforts going on in these countries to prevent public humiliation or a UN Security Council condemnation. Iran is one of the hottest topics at the UN meeting, taking second position after North Korea. As a result, Rouhani has come to New York with the intention of countering any threats posed by the US president to the nuclear deal. Shielded with the blessing of the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's president told the press upon departing from Tehran for New York that “362 days of the year is their turn. Let three days of the year be our turn,” a reference to what he said was “negative” Western media coverage of Iran. If these three days in New York are Rouhani's “turn,” this means that he and his Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif intend to blitz the media with interviews to elaborate their justification against Trump's “propaganda” against Iran. It is not known whether the people of the US will have the patience to listen to what the Iranians are saying. Trump has a lot on his plate, and he may not give much time in his speech to the Iranians and their lobbying. World leaders may prefer to contemplate the routing of terrorism in post-Islamic State (IS) group in Syria and Iraq. But North Korea on one side and the US and Iran on the other will still likely be major topics at the UN this year, together with the ongoing crisis in the Gulf over Saudi Arabia and Qatar. With no clear diplomatic lead being given by the US on the Middle East, the early birds will try to pick the best of possible deals at the UN ahead of the general debates.
