World War III is not beyond the realm of possibility: President of the United Nations General Assembly

New Delhi :The President of the United Nations General Assembly, Dennis Francis, has warned that the ongoing conflict in the Red Sea is creating an extremely disturbing situation that could spark another major war at the global level.

Prime Minister Francis told a news conference in New Delhi on Wednesday that the escalation of the conflict in the Red Sea and the potential for regionalization is creating a dangerous situation.

“It is a very worrying situation. It appears that a third party is facilitating this action that the Houthis are taking in the Red Sea, which is very harmful and dangerous,” said Francisco, who took over as UNGA president in September. he said.

“The last thing we want to do is regionalize war. We don’t want that because it means escalation, and escalation breeds further escalation. So it’s beyond the realm of possibility that World War III will happen. It’s not like I’m there.”

Trinidad and Tobago’s veteran diplomat also warned that such a conflict would be far worse than previous wars due to the destructive power of modern weapons. Francis also spoke about the conflict in the South China Sea and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier in the day, Francis met with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar. The two leaders discussed the current status of the multilateral system and the humanitarian situation in Gaza and Ukraine. They also discussed India’s G20 Presidency, UN Security Council reform, and India’s digital success.

Francis also spoke of the need for reform at the United Nations Security Council.

“The United Nations Security Council as it exists today is reminiscent of a time in world history that no longer exists. As you know, this organization was founded shortly after 1945. Since then, the world has changed dramatically. Some argue that today’s geopolitical realities are not reflected in the Council and that its democratization is urgently needed,” Francisco told reporters.

He also said political divisions within the Security Council hampered its ability to address international security challenges.

“Parliamentary reform is absolutely necessary. I don’t think any UN member state would deny that,” he said. “However, some people may be less interested in substantively participating in the reform process if they are in a privileged position.”They are not necessarily in a hurry to lose their privilege. ”

Prime Minister Francis said a number of reform proposals had been discussed.

Francis also reflected on India’s contributions to the United Nations, particularly in areas such as peacekeeping, sustainable development and pandemic preparedness.