'World suffers because US thinks it knows best'

The world has paid the price for the US government's belief that it knows the needs and aspirations of the Arab world better than the region's own people, Syria's foreign minister told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. Walid Moallem blamed Israel, Syria's longtime rival, for all the problems in the Middle East. The region's top priority is to end Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, the Golan Heights, and the Chebaa Farms area on the border between Syria, Lebanon and Israel, he said. Washington must stop supplying weapons to Israel and realize the region's anger over Israel's punishing campaign against Hizbullah, he said.