Obama going before UN General Assembly

(NECN/ABC: New York, N.Y.) – In his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama will face intense scrutiny. “He needs to prove that he has something to say, something some organizing principle in terms of his foreign policy. We haven’t seen that yet,” Robin Right said. The president is expected to ask leaders who were often critical of the U.S. acting alone to act together, on nuclear non-proliferation and peace in such hotspots as the Middle East. Tuesday, he expressed impatience with stalled peace talks in that region. “It is past time to talk about starting negotiations. It is time to move forward,” Mr. Obama said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told ABC that he rejects a Palestinian precondition that construction stops on Israeli settlements before talks start. “The issue of settlements is something that belongs to the final negotiations. It can’t prejudge the negotiations,” Netanyahu said. The president will expand on Tuesday’s call on developed nations — including the U.S. and China — to address climate change. “We cannot meet this challenge unless all the largest emitters of greenhouse gas pollution act together. There’s no other way,” the president said. But at home, climate change has stalled behind health care reform in Congress . And with China refusing to specify goals, it is unclear if the president’s call will be answered. President Obama will also thank nations that have contributed peace-keeping troops in Afghanistan, where he is likely to ask for still more help. ABC’s John Hendren reports.