UNITED NATIONS –In his first state-of-the-world report since taking the reins of the United Nations on Jan. 1, Guterres put "nuclear peril" as the leading threat warning that "we must not sleepwalk our way into war."
The U.N. chief told presidents, prime ministers and monarchs at the opening of the General Assembly's annual ministerial meeting that millions of people are living in fear "under a shadow of dread cast by the provocative nuclear and missile tests" of North Korea.
His message on "fiery" rhetoric was implicitly directed at North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, but also at the United States and President Donald Trump, who has warned of "fire and fury" if North Korea does not back down.
Guterres said a solution to the North Korea must be political and stressed to leaders: "This is a time for statesmanship."
Beyond the nuclear threat, Guterres painted a grim picture of a troubled world facing grave challenges with many people "hurting and angry" because they "see insecurity rising, inequality growing, conflict spreading and climate changing."  (AP)