UNITED NATIONS - The 72nd UN General Assembly general debate -- the annual VIP session -- ended here on Monday, with concern over nuclear weaponry on the Korean Peninsula and the Rohingya refugees in Myanmar among the leading topics.
But they failed to foresee U.S. President Donald Trump's heated response to threats from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to attack the United States, the return threats and reaction.
Trump said that if Washington "is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."
Many nations voiced offense that such a direct threat would be voiced from the podium in the house of diplomacy.
On Saturday, Foreign Minister Simon Coveney of Ireland was one of those who objected to such rhetoric, saying he "unreservedly condemns the recent series of missile and nuclear weapons testing by the DPRK."
"I will be followed today on the podium by the representative from the DPRK and I would urge him to de-escalate the provocative language and tensions of this week," he said. "This is a conflict that the world does not need and that we need to move away from."
While his plea was greeted by applause, the succeeding speaker, DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho appeared not to have heard it. (Xinhua)