Posted on 12/30/2004 10:19:28 AM PST by flitton
United States President George Bush was tonight accused of trying to undermine the United Nations by setting up a rival coalition to coordinate relief following the Asian tsunami disaster.
The president has announced that the US, Japan, India and Australia would coordinate the world’s response.
But former International Development Secretary Clare Short said that role should be left to the UN.
“I think this initiative from America to set up four countries claiming to coordinate sounds like yet another attempt to undermine the UN when it is the best system we have got and the one that needs building up,” she said.
“Only really the UN can do that job,” she told BBC Radio Four’s PM programme.
“It is the only body that has the moral authority. But it can only do it well if it is backed up by the authority of the great powers.”
Ms Short said the coalition countries did not have good records on responding to international disasters.
She said the US was “very bad at coordinating with anyone” and India had its own problems to deal with.
“I don’t know what that is about but it sounds very much, I am afraid, like the US trying to have a separate operation and not work with the rest of the world through the UN system,” she added.
We have invited the UN to join the coalition.
I wouldn't trust Kofi and his racketeers with a jr. high bake sale much less with a billion dollars in relief funds.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
STAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHP! YERKILLINME!
Let the UN bitch about not getting their skim off the top.
Forge ahead W, let the world know that the UN ain't needed no-more!
Kofi Annan is on C-Span live right now. The UN is going to have another meeting next week.
That's right.
5 million homeless people without food or water and the UN is going to have a meeting.
And they have yet to mention air drops to get food and water to these people.
And they have the nerve, the gall, to say the president is undermining them?
Hey Clare...STFU plz.
What the Un is really sore about is that it will now be very hard to devert money to numbered Swiss accounts this way.
***“Only really the UN can do that job,” she told BBC Radio Four’s PM programme.***
I suppose she also believes that only really the UN could disarm Saddam? And where does she get off saying the US has a poor record of coordinating relief efforts? Just because we aren't as good at siphoning funds into our pockets as Coffee Anon?
It's obvious the U.N. is incapable of doing humanitarian work, in fact, I wonder if it is capable of anything?
To...............give oil for food? Food for oil?
Cash to th UN?
Right now the best system I have got for flying is my car. It sucks for the job, but it is the best system I've got. If I decide to fly, I will not build up my car, I will buy an airplane.
Shalom.
Will the UN demand a 2.2% cut right off the top along with all they can steal as they did in the UN Oil for Food Scam?
Perhaps the problem is that there is a fear that the US, Japan, Australia and India will prove more efficient if the areas are divided up. Ther is no reason that would necessarily have to be so if the UN is as good as is claimed. However few would bet on it.
Seems as though Ms. Short has a good understanding of the totally obvious.
Never fear, the UN won't get cut out. Powell just announced it is being added to the coalition.
Powell can't be replaced soon enough, IMHO.
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