U.S. Criticized for Actions in U.N. Council

By WARREN HOGE
Published: February 18, 2006

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 17 — Developing nations expressed anger on Friday at what they said was a United States-led effort to wrest power from them and give authority for bringing major change at the United Nations to the 15-member Security Council.

Conflict burst into the open after John R. Bolton, the American ambassador to the United Nations, scheduled Security Council briefings on two volatile issues that many on the 191-member General Assembly believe are their responsibility and two United States congressmen wrote an accusatory letter to Ambassador Dumisani S. Kumalo of South Africa, head of the Group of 77, which represents 132 developing nations.

Mr. Bolton, president of the Security Council this month, set meetings next week on what the United Nations has been doing about charges of sexual exploitation by peacekeepers and an audit on waste approaching $300 million in the peacekeeping purchasing department.

The letter — from Representative Henry J. Hyde of Illinois, the Republican chairman of the Committee on International Relations, and Representative Tom Lantos of California, the top Democrat on the committee — took issue with an earlier complaint from Mr. Kumalo to Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Mr. Kumalo said in a Feb. 6 letter that the Secretariat had bypassed the General Assembly by commissioning audits, suspending people under investigation and briefing reporters about it.

The congressmen wrote, "We are writing with regard to the outrageous attack you have launched on behalf of the Group of 77 against the United Nations Secretariat for its aggressive effort to shine a light on the corruption that has infected the United Nations procurement office."

The dispute comes while intense negotiations are going on to reach consensus on proposals to tighten management of the United Nations, and to produce a new Human Rights Council to replace the discredited Human Rights Commission.

Mr. Bolton said he had no quarrel with the General Assembly taking up reform issues, but said he would not relinquish the Security Council's right to do the same. "The United States believes in taking action and being effective, and we don't apologize to anybody for that," he said.DAMN RIGHT!

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fuck the un.

Hell ya. Go get 'em, Bolton.

WHAT???

The UN corrupt?

Wasteful?

Useless?

Directionless?

I'll hear no such thing!

Now you know why there was such a furor about Bolton getting the job.

It's rather interesting how the whole wold is outraged that US troops put panties on the heads of terrorists in Iraqi prisons while at the same time daily reports of UN peacekeepers raping and kill women and children do not even get a second glance.  Why is it ever other country screams when the US starts to even remotely hold them to the same standard we are held to?

Quoted: Now you know why there was such a furor about Bolton getting the job.

If you are going to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs.

John Bolton for President!