Post-Syria strike, Obama talks climate change, civil society

NEW YORK — A day after U.S. airstrikes in Syria, President Obama hit the diplomatic trail Tuesday at the United Nations, talking about climate change and civil society.

Obama called for all U.N. members to sign an agreement to curb global warming, saying "nobody gets a pass" from addressing a threat he likened to terrorism.

He pledged U.S. support for "civil society" movements that promote democracy and freedom in the face of autocratic governments across the world.

The president also headlined a Democratic campaign fundraiser and mingled with other world leaders who gathered in a gridlocked Manhattan for the annual opening of the U.N. General Assembly.

"As we do every time this year, presidents and prime ministers converge on this great city to advance important work," Obama said at the global forum sponsored by former president Bill Clinton. "But as leaders, we are not the most important people here today — it is the civil society leaders."

Obama said little about U.S.-led airstrikes against militant groups in Syria during his New York events, having addressed them before leaving the White House on Tuesday morning.

"It must be clear to anyone who would plot against America and try to do Americans harm that we will not tolerate safe havens for terrorists who threaten our people," Obama said on the South Lawn, standing in front of the Marine One helicopter.

The president did appear to reference the Syria attacks in remarks to the Clinton Global Initiative, saying that "I will never apologize for doing everything in my power to protect the safety and security of the American people. That is my first and primary job."

Obama also met Tuesday with leaders of the five Arab nations who assisted in the U.S. airstrikes in Syria against the Islamic State: Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Also in attendance: The new prime minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi. Last month, Obama authorized airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Iraq.

Over the next two days at the U.N., Obama also plans to discuss efforts to roll back Islamic State positions in Iraq and Syria — including the new airstrikes in Syria — sanction Russia over pro-separatist violence in eastern Ukraine, and stop the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa.

The climate speech, the civil society discussion and other U.N. activities came just hours after the United States and allies made their first airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria. Attacks also targeted the terrorist organization known as the Khorasan Group.

On Wednesday, Obama delivers his annual address to the United Nations General Assembly. Later that day, Obama chairs a special meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss concerted international action against the Islamic State and terrorist groups.

The administration did defend the Syrian strikes to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, via a letter from U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power.

Citing threats made by the Islamic State, Power wrote that "the Syrian regime has shown that it cannot and will not confront these safe havens effectively itself."

After arriving in New York late Tuesday morning, Obama headed to the U.N. Climate Change Summit.

"For all the immediate challenges that we gather to address this week — terrorism, instability, inequality, disease — there's one issue that will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other," Obama said. "And that is the urgent and growing threat of a changing climate."

In calling for a global agreement by the end of 2015, Obama cited record-breaking temperatures and "more frequent extreme weather events" like floods and hurricanes. He told other world leaders that "we can only succeed in combating climate change if we are joined in this effort by every nation, developed and developing alike. Nobody gets a pass."

Securing a global climate change agreement will not and has not been easy. For example, the leaders of two major carbon-emitting countries — China and India — will not be attending the U.N. climate summit.

While Chinese President Xi Jinping is not in New York this week, Obama said he did speak Tuesday with that country's vice premier. The president said "as the two largest economies and emitters in the world," the United States and China "have a special responsibility to lead. That's what big nations have to do."

Citing the U.S. role in climate change, Obama said his administration has taken steps to reduce carbon emissions and will be taking more. He said he will require federal agencies to factor the impact of climate change into the design of international development programs and investments.

While climate change legislation is controversial in the United States and elsewhere, Obama argued that the world has little choice. "We will do our part," Obama said, "and we will help developing nations do theirs."

Later, at the Clinton forum, Obama said that all countries can prosper by promoting a "civil society." He praised the "courageous citizens" who promote democracy, entrepreneurship, religion, and freedom of speech in the face of governments that threaten them with prison and even death.

Pledging to support freedom movements across the globe, Obama said that "America's support for civil society is a matter of national security."

The president praised both his ex-president host and his spouse, former secretary of State — and possible 2016 presidential candidate — Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"Hillary put in a lot of miles during her tenure as secretary of State," Obama said. "She has the post-administration glow right now. She looks much more rested."

Obama also had kind words for his host's daughter, the very pregnant Chelsea Clinton.

"If Chelsea begins delivery while I'm speaking, she has my motorcade," Obama joked. (That option didn't become necessary.)

As he motorcaded across Manhattan, Obama also joked about the traffic that afflicts New York City during United Nations week.

"Actually, it's pretty smooth for me during the week," Obama told the Clinton forum. "I don't know what the problem is. Everybody hypes the traffic, but I haven't noticed."