UN Ambs. Launch Crisis Talks on Reform (after Bolton proposes 500 changes)

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT/Reuters:
UN Ambassadors Launch Crisis Talks on Reform Plans
By REUTERS
Published: August 29, 2005


UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Some 32 U.N. ambassadors began a week of crisis talks on Monday in an effort to rescue a mid-September world summit on extreme poverty, human rights, terrorism, proliferation and U.N. management reforms.

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, who had put forward more than 500 amendments or deletions to a 39-page draft text, submitted several letters, including ones on development and terrorism, explaining the U.S. position....

***

...in an obvious reference to the United States, Syria's U.N. ambassador, Fayssal Mekdad, told reporters,'' We started negotiations six months ago and we were thinking that we were reaching a good conclusion and suddenly someone comes and says 'this is rubbish' and they want to start line by line, word by word, sentence by sentence.''

The United States has proposed changes on development that would remove references to the Millennium Development Goals, agreed by world leaders in 2000 and aimed at halving AIDS, extreme poverty and achieving universal primary education by 2015.

Instead the United States wants to substitute the phrase ''internationally agreed development goals'' and emphasize a 2002 agreement in Mexico spelling out the need for poor nations to improve investment climates....


http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-un-reform.html?oref=login

[jsamuel]

1. 500 not 50

[DeepModem Mom]

2. I edited typo -- thanks j! nt

[anotherdrew]

3. this needs to be the line in the sand

we need a major campaign to sign on as originally written.

[Barrett808]

4. It's just ... breathtaking...

The arrogance, the incompetence, the delusional bullheadedness of these gangsters.

"Hello, is this history? You are gonna judge these people, right?"

[DeepModem Mom]

6. Good word, "breathtaking." They continue to astonish...

as they wreak havoc, and destroy.

[whalerider55]

5. well, i guess...

if bolton's edits have officially become the US position, then he wasn't acting on his own...

you're right. history will judge us harshly, when she's done laughing her arse off.

sheesh.

whalerider

[Buns_of_Fire]

7. Improve your "investment climate" and we'll like you

The United States has proposed changes on development that would remove references to the Millennium Development Goals, agreed by world leaders in 2000 and aimed at halving AIDS, extreme poverty and achieving universal primary education by 2015. (bold mine)

Instead the United States wants to substitute the phrase "internationally agreed development goals" and emphasize a 2002 agreement in Mexico spelling out the need for poor nations to improve investment climates....

Everybody sing along, now: Wall Street, Wall Street, Uber alles... :puke: