Stop military operations, grant citizenship to Rohingya: UN chief

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on Myanmar to put an end to its military campaign against Rohingya Muslims just hours after the country's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi addressed the nation on the situation in Rakhine state.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the 72nd annual session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Guterres said he "took note" of Suu Kyi's promise to abide by the recommendations of a report by former UN chief, Kofi Annan that underlined the need for granting citizenship to the Rohingya.

Guterres said "the Asian country's authorities must end the military operations in Rakhine state, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and address the grievances of the Rohingya Muslims, whose status has been left unresolved for far too long.

"We are all shocked by the dramatic escalation of sectarian tensions in Myanmar's Rakhine state," Guterres added.

"The authorities in Myanmar must also address the grievances of the Rohingya," Guterres said.

On the Israel-Palestine conflict, the two-state solution remains the only way forward, he said.

Turning to climate change, Mr. Guterres urged Governments to implement the historic Paris Agreement with greater ambition.

"We should not link any single weather event with climate change. But scientists are clear that such extreme weather is precisely what their models predict will be the new normal of a warming world," UN chief said, noting that mega-hurricanes, super storms and rain bombs are added to the vocabulary to describe what is happening.