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| U.S. President Barack Obama (front) addresses the 67th session of the UN General Assembly's annual general debate at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, Sept. 25, 2012. The debate started here on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) |
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday at the United Nations that the recent anti-Islam movie must be rejected but there is no video that justifies the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Libya.
"I have made it clear that the United States government had nothing to do with this video, and I believe its message must be rejected by all who respect our common humanity," Obama said at the annual UN General Assembly debate.
An alleged U.S.-made film that insults the Prophet Mohammed has recently sparked widespread anti-American protests in various Muslim countries, including Egypt, Yemen, Tunis, Sudan and Pakistan.
The most shocking incident came on Sept. 11 when protesters and gunmen stormed the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya and set fire to the U.S. mission building, leading to the killings of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other embassy staffers.
The White House on Thursday called the attack on U.S. consulate in Benghazi a terrorist act.
While rejecting the anti-Islam movie, Obama stressed: "There are no words that excuse the killing of innocents. There is no video that justifies an attack on an embassy."
"There is no slander that provides an excuse for people to burn a restaurant in Lebanon, or destroy a school in Tunis, or cause death and destruction in Pakistan," he added.
The U.S. president vowed to bring justice to those who harm " our citizens and our friends", and urged all leaders in the world to "speak out forcefully against violence and extremism."
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