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| Annan Says U.N. Budget Showdown Can Be Avoided | |
| 2006-06-16 | |
| Secretary General Kofi Annan said today he thought the United Nations would avoid a threatened budget showdown the end of this month, but he warned against threats to "pull the plug" on the organization if it didn't meet some countries' expectations. "The cap on the budget will be lifted, there will be no crisis, as far as I can see, this month," Mr. Annan told a press conference. Led by the United States, the major contributors to the United Nations in December obtained a six-month cap on the current budget that links disbursement of money after June 30 to progress in management reforms. In addition, John R. Bolton, the American ambassador, periodically hinted that if there weren't sufficient changes, the United States Congress would move to withhold United Nations dues. Mr. Annan predicted enough movement on reform to forestall a crisis, but he added that the tactic pressed by the United States had provoked a strong counterreaction from many nations. "For someone to say that because you have not reformed to my satisfaction, I am going to pull the plug and stop all the activities is going to be a very hard sell for other member states to swallow — and rightly so," he said.
"We hope we can agree on a consensus decision with respect to the expenditure cap which the United States, the European Union and Japan all said should be based on substantial movement on the reform question by June 30 and a roadmap through the end of the year," he said. Mr. Bolton said the group was adopting a "flexible, accommodating position" but needed to achieve progress in increasing accountability, measures to toughen oversight and action to start eliminating committees with expired mandates. "What we'd like to see is substantial progress in some combination in all three of those areas, but we have not said, 'This is a prerequisite or that is an absolute prerequisite,'" he said. Relations between Mr. Annan and Mr. Bolton remained strained in the aftermath of a speech by Mark Malloch Brown, the deputy secretary general, last week asserting that the United States failed to stand up for the United Nations or acknowledge its value to American policy makers, letting its harshest American detractors dominate debate. Mr. Bolton unsuccessfully sought a repudiation of the remarks from Mr. Annan, and he complained that they represented a patronizing attack on American public opinion. He added that they would set back the cause of reform. Mr. Annan disagreed with that thinking today, saying that a "poisonous" atmosphere that had arisen between the wealthy and developing nations was subsiding and that he trusted Americans to understand the speech. "I do not think they will read the Mark Malloch Brown statement as insulting, condescending or rude," he said. But Mr. Bolton was unrelenting. "I can tell you that criticism of the intelligence of the American people is never a smart thing to do politically," he said. "And I do believe that the comments have had a negative impact politically and that impact continues," he said. "I'm not trying to dwell on it, I just think it's a fact of life, and if you don't realize it, you're blinking reality in Washington." | |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #25 Even better - evict em and sell the property to Taiwan and Israel for Embassies |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-06-16 22:01 |
| #24 You guys are crackign me up - visions of Eurotrash diplos and 3rd world kelptos trying to argue an eviction notice with a bunch of NYPD cops. TV's NYPD Blue's "Sipowitz" comes to mind. |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2006-06-16 21:50 |
| #23 #21: "On second thought, do hold your breath." ROFL! You go, Darrell! ;-p |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-06-16 21:35 |
| #22 imagine them storming the inhouse restaurants, stripping ithem of silverware and any food and alcohol...oh wait..it ALREADY HAPPENED. Third world thugs and thieves |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-06-16 21:08 |
| #21 "a strong counterreaction from many nations" It doesn't count, Kofi, unless it means they're chipping in more money -- a lot more. Don't hold your breath. On second thought, do hold your breath. This has the potential to go the way of the Palestinian parliament: imagine unpaid Secretariat employees storming the General Assembly and pelting the delegates with Perrier bottles. |
| Posted by: Darrell 2006-06-16 19:53 |
| #20 well with the KELO decision, we can declare the area blighted, pay them an estimated value based on their outrageous demands for rehabilitation money, basically using their statements against them to run down the appraisal value. Send em packing with a couple million bucks (value less demolition and mitigation value). Cut off their lights, water, and power (yes, we can do that) and revoke their diplomatic status....the millions we pay should be recouped in towing/storage/auction value of the limos illegally parked in about a week |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-06-16 19:45 |
| #19 As long as they are paying their utility bills, nope, "we" can't do anything about shutting off their trash service, power and water. If the government tried to make it harder for them to get housing, you could run afoul of fair housing laws, especially the parts referring to denying a person lodging because of national origin. They already try to hire as few Americans as possible, so that's not going to work either. Cutting off the money supply to make paying bills much harder, on the other hand.....yeah, we can do that. They know we can, too. We've done it before, at least partially, and they know there was absolutely no political price to be paid by our elected officials when they did that. They can whine, bitch and moan, but the .05% of Americans who might get really pissed about cutting off the money to the UN will be outweighed by all the unsophisticated rubes that Malloch Brown dissed last week. They're not going to leave, even if we do that. There's too much for some of their human-rights abusing members to gain by staying here (if you think the North Koreans, Cubans, and others we officially have no contact with are going to leave their posts, you're nuts....besides, the food is MUCH better than they get back home...). We're stuck with 'em, but that doesn't mean we gotta give them walking around money. Cut off the funding, keep Bolton there to piss them off, and you have the best of all possible solutions. |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2006-06-16 17:13 |
| #18 Redneck Jim, you may be technically correct, but I think the streets surrounding said property is owned by the US so unless they can teleport in we do have some say. I think trash services are also run by NY. Same with water and power. The US could make it difficult for Americans to work at the UN and it could make it difficult for UN Ambassadors to get housing in the USA. There are many things that we could do and if we stopped paying I'm pretty sure the UN would be ready to leave the United States and rent out the property in Manhattan to get some income back. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2006-06-16 16:50 |
| #17 Little problem with that, that everybody keeps forgetting, It's NOT US territory. It belongs to the United Nations "In Perpetuity" and is not subject to amy nation's Laws (That means us) It would be the samr thing as invading a foreign country. Bad decision way back when? Hell yes. We CANNOT tell them to "Get Out" it's not ours. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2006-06-16 16:29 |
| #16 "Annan Says U.N. Budget Showdown Can Be Avoided" Sure it can, Coffee. We just won't give you ANY more money to piss away. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-06-16 16:20 |
| #15 The USA should go to the Security Council with a declaration of serious sanctions followed by War if Iran doesn't comply with Weapons inspectors 100%. We should let it be known that this is not just a vote on action about Iran but about the future of the UN. If the vote goes against us we should leave the UN and tell them they have x amount of time to relocate from US territory. The budget crisis would appear insignificant after that. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2006-06-16 15:16 |
| #14 If you're correct Sea, then Bhutros Bhutros the Original Name Name is gonna be pissed. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-06-16 14:42 |
| #13 His tranzi buddies will get him some lucrative engagements at first to fill his accounts and to say thanks for a job well done. After a year or so, the tranzi elites will forget him and he'll drop to his true market value, whatever that is. Of course there'll always be some dictator or arms dealer willing to pay top dollar for a name like Kofi's. |
| Posted by: 11A5S 2006-06-16 11:50 |
| #12 Eric Shawn's book The UN Exposed sould be required reading for them all before they demand more money from the American taxpayers. Kofi should be worried he isn't tar-and-feathered before he makes it to retirement. |
| Posted by: Danielle 2006-06-16 11:23 |
| #11 When he retires, who do you think will see Ghana first, Kofi...or me? I'm betting on me... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-06-16 11:14 |
| #10 Kofi is a very, very, very rich man. How rich won't be uncovered for a couple of years. By which time, he's safe in a condo in Switzerland. |
| Posted by: Thinemp Whimble2412 2006-06-16 11:11 |
| #9 Ah, but Kofi knows where the bodies are buried...and a lot of his oil-for-kleptocrats bebeficiaries owe him some baksheesh. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-06-16 10:12 |
| #8 Careth to wager on that? Coffee doesn't have Clintonian residual power. I sez 50k gets him all weekend. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-06-16 10:00 |
| #7 "Other Member States" don't PAY squat, Coffee. So tough shit what they don't like, eh? |
| Posted by: mojo 2006-06-16 09:58 |
| #6 100K won't even get you a cardboard cutout of Kofi. Bill Clinton is getting 350+ per appearance, Kofi's gotta get at least that. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-06-16 09:56 |
| #5 100 Grand to hear an ex-coffee? Ha! I laugh at Tu. He'll be in the cut-rate import car biz with Koko. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-06-16 09:52 |
| #4 "For someone to say that because you have not reformed to my satisfaction, I am going to pull the plug and stop all the activities is going to be a very hard sell for other member states to swallow — and rightly so," he said. Well then they can feel free to take up the slack and pay more couldn't they? Good luck with that! |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2006-06-16 08:13 |
| #3 Man, I'll bet Kofi can't wait to get out in December. 100G's a speaking engagement, rip the shit out of the US with no consequences, all expenses paid. Kinda like the gig he's got now, but with no pressure... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-06-16 08:01 |
| #2 If we could cut off the Palestinians until they come around, why can't we cut you off, Kofi? Just issue a strongly worded letter, and I'm sure that will get us back in line. |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2006-06-16 07:13 |
| #1 Bright Pebbles Says U.N. Budget Showdown Can Be Avoided by closing UN down, and sowing it's lands with salt. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2006-06-16 06:42 |