Speech by U.N. Leader Criticizing US Draws Angry Response From U.S.

[Woodmonkey]

Speech by U.N. Leader Draws Angry Response From U.S.

UNITED NATIONS*—*The United Nations' No. 2 official accused the U.S. government of keeping Middle America in the dark about the world body's good works, a rare direct criticism that drew an angry response Wednesday from Ambassador John Bolton.

Bolton called Tuesday's speech by Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown a "very, very grave mistake" that could undermine Secretary-General Kofi Annan's efforts to push through an ambitious agenda at the world body.

"I spoke to the secretary-general this morning, I said 'I've known you since 1989 and I'm telling you this is the worst mistake by a senior U.N. official that I have seen in that entire time,"' Bolton told reporters on Wednesday.

"To have the deputy secretary-general criticize the United States in such a manner can only do grave harm to the United Nations," Bolton said.

In the speech, Malloch Brown said the United States relies on the United Nations as a diplomatic tool but doesn't defend it against criticism at home, a policy of "stealth diplomacy" that he called unsustainable.

He lamented that the good works of the U.N. are largely lost because "much of the public discourse that reaches the U.S. heartland has been largely abandoned to its loudest detractors such as Rush Limbaugh and Fox News."

"The U.N.'s role is in effect a secret in Middle America even as it is highlighted in the Middle East and other parts of the world," Malloch Brown said.

The speech was delivered at a daylong conference sponsored by two think tanks, the Center for American Progress and The Century Foundation. Malloch Brown called it a "sincere and constructive critique of U.S. policy toward the U.N. by a friend and admirer."

It was a rare instance of a senior U.N. official directly and openly criticizing a member state. An unwritten U.N. rule says high-ranking officials don't name names or shame nations.

Yet Malloch Brown and even Annan have done so in the past. Last year, with the U.N. under intense criticism over the Iraq oil for food program, Annan said opponents of the U.N. had been "relentless," and the world body wasn't fighting back enough.

U.S. officials, including Bolton, said they were especially upset that Malloch Brown, a Briton, mentioned "Middle America."

Bolton said Malloch Brown's "condescending, patronizing tone about the American people" was the worst part about the speech.

"Fundamentally and very sadly, this was a criticism of the American people, not the American government, by an international civil servant," Bolton said. "It's just illegitimate."

The United Nations had no immediate comment about Bolton's remarks or whether Annan would respond.

Malloch Brown used the speech to defend U.N. peacekeeping missions in 18 places round the globe. He criticized the United States for voting against the creation of a new Human Rights Council. It was joined by just three nations, with 170 countries voting for the body.

He acknowledged that the U.N. was in desperate need of an overhaul — in the Security Council, over its budget, and even the headquarters building itself, which hasn't been renovated for decades. (color=red]With the corruption which is rampant in the UN, this renovation can easily cost 3/4 times what it really will.[/color]

But the U.S. tendency to criticize the United Nations and to take "maximalist positions," rather than seeking the middle ground, has made other nations suspicious of its intentions.

Bolton warned that Malloch Brown's comments could undermine the reforms that Annan wants and that the United States supports.

"To have the deputy secretary-general criticize the United States in such a manner can only do grave harm to the United Nations," Bolton said. "Even though the target of the speech was the United States, the victim, I fear, will be the United Nations."

The Source

[KBay84]

I have an idea; We boot the U.N. from American soil (by God, the developers in NYC have GOT to be drooling over that property!), and take the United Nations to Switzerland. THAT is THE ONE recognized neutral country in the world. Does that NOT make sense??!! The rest of the world can squabble about there, and we can wash our hands of them, easier done once the rabble of the world is off our sovereign soil.

It was a rare instance of a senior U.N. official directly and openly criticizing a member state. An unwritten U.N. rule says high-ranking officials don't name names or shame nations.

Malloch Brown used the speech to defend U.N. peacekeeping missions in 18 places round the globe. He criticized the United States for voting against the creation of a new Human Rights Council. It was joined by just three nations, with 170 countries voting for the body.

Do I need to comment about this? The U.N. "Human Rights Councel" is made up of THE WORST of the human rights abusers! Where is Amnesty International??!! For some odd reason they think that the U.S. is a Human Rights Abuser....what a bunch of incompetents....

[centra]

time to send a brick to the UN and tell then to build the UN building in another country. An Islamic sharia ruled country in the ME would be good since the UN supports Islamic extremists.

[Snowden]

Originally Posted by KBay84

I have an idea; We boot the U.N. from American soil (by God, the developers in NYC have GOT to be drooling over that property!), and take the United Nations to Switzerland. THAT is THE ONE recognized neutral country in the world. Does that NOT make sense??!! The rest of the world can squabble about there, and we can wash our hands of them, easier done once the rabble of the world is off our sovereign soil.

It makes perfect sense to me, Bay - especially when they live so high on the hog in NYC that they never want to go to their respective homes elsewhere. Get them out of there!

Do I need to comment about this? The U.N. "Human Rights Councel" is made up of THE WORST of the human rights abusers! Where is Amnesty International??!! For some odd reason they think that the U.S. is a Human Rights Abuser....what a bunch of incompetents....

And it's because of their incompetence that we have lost respect for them and that goes double for the UN. Incompetent and thinking that because there are so many with equal votes, whether or not their country deserves that, that they can use us for the world's whipping boy. Stupid of them.

[Snowden]

Originally Posted by centra

time to send a brick to the UN and tell then to build the UN building in another country. An Islamic sharia ruled country in the ME would be good since the UN supports Islamic extremists.

Anywhere but here. I rather like the idea of an Islamic country ..