Prime Minister Harper speaks to the United Nations

UNITED NATIONS -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper used his first address before a United Nations summit Thursday to explain Canada's presence in Afghanistan, saying it was a global security imperative.

In a speech directed perhaps more at the Canadian public than the world leaders sitting before him, Harper said restoring peace in Afghanistan is vital to defeating international terrorism.

He tied Canada's national interests to global ones, evoking how UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had said the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks were a "direct attack" on UN core values such as the rule of law and pursuit of peace.

"That is why we in the United Nations have the responsibility to defeat terrorism," Harper told delegates of the UN's other 191 member states. "That is why, with unity and determination, the United Nations undertook its responsibility and its role in Afghanistan.

MICHAEL McCAFFERTY says: Prime Minister Harper gave a very outstanding speech to the United Nations . I am proud of Canada's role in the United Nations.