L.A.-born Nicaraguan priest will lead U.N. General Assembly

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The Associated Press reports:

A Nicaraguan priest who has been a stern critic of the United States won election Wednesday as the next president of the U.N. General Assembly, beginning his post with a ‘sermon’ that touched on love, politics and the Iraq war.

The presidency of the 192-nation assembly rotates by region and lasts for a year. The assembly elected 75-year-old Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, a Roman Catholic priest who was born in Los Angeles. He succeeds Macedonian diplomat Srgjan Kerim.

In his acceptance speech, D’Escoto spoke out against what he called ‘acts of aggression’ in Iraq and Afghanistan — without mentioning the U.S. by name. ‘The behavior of some member states has caused the United Nations to lose credibility as an organization capable of putting an end to war and eradicating extreme poverty from our planet,’ he said.