Posted on 03/27/2006 8:14:12 PM PST by FairOpinion
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would have the final say on withholding half of U.S. dues to the United Nations under a compromise plan announced on Monday that aims to overhaul the world body.
This compromise takes away the threat of an automatic deduction of U.S. dues unless the United Nations makes a series of reforms, a key requirement of a House bill passed in June.
Rep. Henry Hyde, an Illinois Republican who led a congressional delegation to the United Nations, said he now agrees with members of the Senate and his House Democratic colleague Tom Lantos of California that this is the best course.
"I am very anxious to get something that the senators will smile upon and treat more hospitably and perhaps we can get some legislation that will move us toward real reform," said Hyde, who chairs the International Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives.
The delegation of seven congressmen had discussions with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton and representatives of a group of developing nations, who have been critical of U.S. actions at the world body.
The U.S. House passed a bill that would withhold half the U.S. dues starting in 2007 if the United Nations did not make some 40 reforms, including greater financial transparency, independent oversight and the creation of a new human rights body.
Lantos introduced a similar bill that would grant the secretary of state the discretion to withhold dues if changes were not made. In the Senate, Richard Lugar, the Indiana Republican who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, was known to be lukewarm to the Hyde bill.
Since the measure has already passed the House, congressional sources said a new bill would have to be drawn up giving Rice more power and reviewing the U.N. reform demands, some of which have already been adopted.
"There is serious resistance to the notion of withholding dues," Hyde said. "The establishment doesn't like that. The State Department is unenthusiastic about it. But most people support it."
But he said, "I believe firmly after watching for years that the money is the way to go. That way you will get reform. Otherwise you will get promises and no reform."
The United States is charged for 22 percent of the U.N. annual administrative budget of more than $1.8 billion, excluding peacekeeping contributions and special agencies.
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
Hyde and Lantos told reporters they supported the United States running for a seat in the U.N. Human Rights Council when elections are held in May. Bolton has not made such a commitment, with some envoys saying Washington had to make sure the United States would get a seat.
The United States was one of only four nations to vote against the new rights council, saying that rules for the new council were too weak to prevent rights violators from obtaining seats.
"I think it is important that the council go forward," Hyde said. "It is far short of an ideal document but it is the best that is available so you do what you can do with what you have on hand."
"If you don't get in, that is certainly a dramatic definition of the body's fairness," he added.
Conservatives in Congress have long criticized the United Nations. The debate on reform in June came during revelations of corruption in the U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq and sexual abuse by U.N. peacekeepers.
Hyde said the oil-for-food program was not a major topic but Dan Burton, an Indiana Republican, said he raised shredding of documents by a top U.N. official during the investigation.
Annan repeated earlier contentions that his former chief-of-staff, Iqbal Riza, had only shredded old documents, Burton said, adding, "There is not much you can do but take him at his word but there ought to be some reprisals."
I don't think it's possible to reform the UN.
A group of UN members known as the G-77 have united not to protest the abuses or mis-management, or even the fraud exposed in recent UN investigations, but to protest the fact that the US brought these issues to the Security Council to seek action. The G-77 is distressed that their General Assembly prerogative to handle management and budget issues was infringed on by the Security Council. How dare the Security Council be concerned about that body’s disinterest and inaction? How dare the United States, which contributes no less than 27% of the funds used for the UN’s peacekeeping force and its missions, seek swift remedial action to clean up the undisputable mess?
Emboldened by their collective ability to make noise, these member states are at the center of the latest and frankly most incomprehensible idea coming out of the General Assembly. That body has voted to elect by secret ballot 47 members of a new human rights council whose vague mandate will be to do a better job than the old human rights commission. How this can be possible when any member nation is eligible for a seat on this new council is a mystery. No matter how egregious its own record, any nation that manages to collect secret ballots can put itself in the position of protector.
Over the vigorous objection of the US, the General Assembly has chosen to dismantle rather than reform the existing Human Rights Commission by strengthening its membership rules and its mandate for action. Rather than do the hard work of reform they have scrapped the existing framework to make a bigger, more cumbersome system with no safeguards to prevent rouge nations from simply voting themselves a clean record.
Get 'er done.
The only chance of reforming anything rests with the people's house, which has been constantly undermined by the serpents in the senate and the executive (both of which continue to sell us out wholesale). Feh.
I think we should withhold all the money, and tell the UN, "don't call us, we'll call you" and see how long they last without our $$$$. I think the US and Japan provide about half of their funds. I bet it wouldn't be too hard to convince Japan to follow us in withholding the money.
Why are we paying them to thwart us, every time we try to do something good in the world?
I don't either.
The best reform I can think of would be a $10 lock and chain for the front door.
Actually we could sell the real estate to Donald Trump. Let the UN put their headquarters in Cuba or Iran.
Sounds like another sellout to me.
Guess we'll see what Condi is made of.
I'll consider Cuba and Iran if you'll consider North Korea and the Sudan.
Hey, I would be happy to see the whole imperious UN move to Sudan or N. Korea, or Zimbabwe. In fact it would be amusing to see that.
I think I remember reading that the UN held a conference on world hunger and they held it somewhere in Africa, but while people around them were starving, they had flown in fesh shrimp and delicacies, and guess who paid for that,and guess how many starving people they could have fed with that?
I don't think Condi wants to be singlehandedly responsible for withholding the funds, that's why this has no teeth.
I completely agree with your comments. We could go on for hours trading despicable aspects of the United Nations. It needs to be shut down. The sooner the better.
"We could go on for hours trading despicable aspects of the United Nations."
I think someone should make a compendium and read it to Congress.
If I had said this, what would your reaction have been?
Me too... LOL
"If I had said this, what would your reaction have been?"
====
GMTA. :)
Now, if we could get Congress to think like us. :)
"Why are we paying them to thwart us, every time we try to do something good in the world?"
The US is in a severe masochistic mode right now and severe sadistic mode to its people.
"Sounds like another sellout to me."
I would more tend to agree with your statement than the one about baby steps. Fair Opinion was correct Condi, nor any other Sec. of State would dare use such a power.
Why Congress persists in giving their Constitutionally delegated power to the executive branch, is quite beyond me.
"Why are we paying them to thwart us, every time we try to do something good in the world?"
Funny. I get the same impression about the ACLU and NPR.
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