Bush 'Undermining UN with Aid Coalition'

[truthpusher]

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3944374

Bush 'Undermining UN with Aid Coalition'

By Jamie Lyons, PA Political Correspondent

United States President George Bush was tonight accused of trying to undermine the United Nations by setting up a rival coalition to coordinate relief following the Asian tsunami disaster.

The president has announced that the US, Japan, India and Australia would coordinate the world’s response.

(snip)

“I think this initiative from America to set up four countries claiming to coordinate sounds like yet another attempt to undermine the UN when it is the best system we have got and the one that needs building up,” she said.

“Only really the UN can do that job,” she told BBC Radio Four’s PM programme.

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3944374

[Be Brave]

1. It's part of his agenda: make the UN irrelevant.

[prodigal_green]

4. and, as usual, it is having the opposite effect...

everything he touches turns to crap.

He wants to make sure that all of the aid money gets sent right back to his cronies. I'm sure big pharma and inefficient companies similar to Halliburton will get all of the contracts that the aid relates to.

[Be Brave]

11. Ain't that the truth!

[Name removed]

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[Skittles]

39. not as corrupt as Bush Inc

nt

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[bvar22]

55. In case you missed it.

The UN Sanctions and Inspections in Iraq were 100% successful. Saddam was unable to produce WMD, or engage in any "WMD Program Related Activities." The invasion was absolutely unnecessary due to the successful efforts of the UN.

You said:
"..the UN which is in the middle of the largest scam-scandal of all time."

The disputed funds in the Oil for Food Program amount to approximately $20 Billion. While this IS a large sum, it is matched by the disappearance of $20 Billion the night Bremmer left Iraq and the IGC was disbanded. $20 Billion still unaccounted.
The difference is that the $20 Billion Bremmer and the IGC stole was YOUR MONEY.
The $20 Billion in the Oil for Food Program was Iraqi oil money.

So the Oil for Food Scandal hardly qualifies as the largest scam-scandal of all time
It is easily topped by the Republican S&L Deregulation scam of the 80s, but even the S&L Scam pales in comparison to the Iraq War Scam.

The Oil for Food Scandal is about corrupt Global Corporations (some US based).
If these Corporations were better regulated, corruption could not occur.

[Hard Attack]

29. Didn't Nazi Germany Push the League of Nations to being irrellevent?

Didn't Nazi Germany Push the League of Nations to being irrellevant?


I am not a Geoligist or Historian or anything, but I do remember reading something like this during my current journey of life.

[Phoebe_in_Sydney]

54. Read a great Wes Clark quote once

said something like president Bush never met an international organisation that he liked.

(Multi-national corporations excluded, of course!)

[cornermouse]

2. Yeah, but Bush is turning it into loans

and, as I understand it, charging interest and God only knows what else. Under those conditions the UN will stay the major force. People don't trust Bush for good reason.

[elehhhhna]

3. How else can he swing the rebuilding $$$ to Halliburton? Duh.-

[neweurope]

5. ...and the UN are doing that already.

Kofi Annan broke off his vacation at once and went to work. Bush's/Rove's "coalition" is indeed an effort to undermine the UN but also some sweets for the US-TV-watchers. The world didn't wait for the almighty brush-cleaner and bycyclist, the world was faster.

[cornermouse]

8. Agree. There's a lot of PR on tv directed at the

American viewers in which we are told just how wonderful and generous we are in someone's opinion.

[BrightKnight]

26. compromising national security to persue self serving political objectives

Once again Bush is compromising our national security to pursue self serving political objectives. Our allies will be less inclined to work with us when we need them. He is re-enforcing the arrogant American stereotype. This plays into the hands of our enemies.

[jdj]

35. it's disgustingly embarassing. THIS ISN'T ABOUT US!!!!!!!!

@##%%%%@!!!!!

If Bush using this tragedy to be a bitch about the U.N then he is even a bigger piece of shit than I thought possible.

[MGKrebs]

6. UN now part of the coalition:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Secretary of State Colin Powell conferred by video hookup with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan Thursday on assistance to the victims of the Asian and African tsunamis and then added the United Nations to the core group planning relief efforts.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/12/30/tsunami.US.ap/index.html

[Spazito]

7. Given the bush admin's propensity to 'mis-speak'...

I am inclined to believe the opposite is true, the US is working WITH the UN rather than the UN joining the US 'coalition' and, further, I suspect bush's attempts to undermine the UN failed yet again. Powell has as much credibility now as he had when he deliberately lied to the UN re WMDs.

[neweurope]

12. :puke: The UN added to *'s coalition... the UN will feel mighty honored,

I'm sure.
:puke:

[Oversea Visitor]

50. I see

many countries on the ground helping

But USA ????

I only see US trying to dominate Even during this tragic time

CNN make me want to :puke:

[Oversea Visitor]

56. n/t

:puke:

[NYC Liberal]

9. Commander Codpiece will warm

right up to the U.N. if there's another major disaster here. No looking back.

[elsur]

10. He likely was trying to sidestep the UN ...

and won't get away with it but I just have so little faith in the UN most days that it's hard for me to see how they're going to handle this. The private aid foundations already in action are going to have the most impact.

Regardless, if Australia, Japan and the US were competiong against the UN to do ... umm ... anything ... I know who I would put my money on.

[neweurope]

13. The UN is very far from perfect. But it's the best we've got. So the thing

to do is to strengthen the UN by all means possible. It's really very easy. Weakening the UN means strengthening big business and globalization and thereby weakening every single one of "us".

Here's a hurray to UN!
:bounce:

[tabasco]

48. The UN has 17 major peacekeeping operations ongoing ...

around the world. Funny how you never hear about that from right-wing radio, isn't it? The hatefest against the UN is merely pandering to the least common denominator - virulent flag-waving nationalists who have plagued all modern societies. These people really think multinational corporations give a damn about their country. The corporate rulers spend a lot of money on propaganda and it works very well with the ignorant and stupid. The people ruling us are leaders of multinational corporations like Halliburton, but they pander to stupid people's hate of foreigners.

I'm patriotic. 12 years in the Army infantry and two combat tours. But I don't hate foreigners and if he UN can prevent a few wars it's alright with me. I think people that hate blindly as instructed by mass media are pretty poor citizens.

[Name removed]

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[neweurope]

18. Kofi Annan broke off his vacation at once. You are misinformed.

[wicket]

21. This is just not true

:shrug:

[Inland]

23. So you think Bush is no worse than Annan? Wrong.

Try reading to the part where Kofi Annan was giving interviews on December 28 and making calls on December 27. And Kofi actually cut his vacation short. Whereas all Bush did was put on a tie, appear in front of the cameras looking pissed off about all the bother, and call it a lifetime.

http://www0.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=12930&Cr=tsunami&Cr1=


29 December 2004 – Secretary-General Kofi Annan is cutting short his end-of-year holidays to return to United Nations Headquarters in New York tonight to oversee the world body's relief efforts after the devastating tsunami that struck Southern Asia, killing some 80,000 people, injuring hundreds of thousands more and affecting millions.

He will meet tomorrow morning with UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland and the heads of other agencies involved in the relief effort, which officials have called unprecedented and possibly the largest ever launched by the world body.

Over the past two days, Mr. Annan has spoken to the leaders of the nearly one dozen countries hit by the disaster to see what they need most urgently and has also been in touch with leaders of major donor nations to review the international relief effort and to underscore the UN's coordinating role, his spokesman said today.

Earlier today Mr. Annan discussed the situation with United States Secretary of State Colin Powell.

In an interview on CNN last night, the Secretary-General called for a generous response to the flash appeal that the UN will launch on 6 January, warning that the emergency relief phase for the catastrophe together with the recovery and the reconstruction phase will require billions of dollars.

"The needs are enormous. They need food. They need clean water. They need shelter. They need medication," he said. "We need to begin worrying immediately about the non-food items, sanitation, clean water, to ensure that epidemics do not set in. And so they need lots of help and are looking to the international community to respond and respond generously."

[Inland]

24. "Aid Coalition of Willing" consists of Bangladesh, Mali, Lesotho, and

according to Rummy, some thirty other countries he can't remember.

[bahrbearian]

47. Don't forget "Poland"

[peacebird]

31. sounds like US is joining UN's coalition - not the other way around

according to Voice of America -

"He (Annan) met Thursday with his emergency aid team, with ambassadors of affected countries and with the newly formed core group of aid donors led by the United States, Japan, India and Australia. He said he has been in close contact with Secretary of State Colin Powell to coordinate relief efforts.

"I spoke to Secretary of State Powell yesterday, as the announcement was made, and we've also spoken this morning," he said. "The core group will support the U.N. effort. We expect the core group to grow. There are other countries that have indicated a desire to join the core group, and it will be a good thing that we will have a real international effort, and it is clear that their purpose is to work with us and support the U.N. effort, and we're going to make it a truly international effort."

http://www.voanews.com/english/2004-12-30-voa62.cfm

[Oversea Visitor]

51. Thats true

But watch CNN and tell me how it look like
Sorry he is making monkey out of the US reputation

[jdj]

36. Thank you people. C-SPAN repeated this rumor today.

Everythink is gettin puked up, NPR is gone, PBS is a dead useless piece of crap now, and the 30-ish brown-haired guy on C-Span repeated this rumor today when someone criticized Bush's waiting 4 days.

Maybe, unlike Bush, Kofi doesn't feel the need to jump in front of the camera.

You folks don't know how upsetting it is to me to have this debunked after hearing the C-Span host say this today.

I should have known they are irrelevant since it took them 'til Tuesday to cover the tsunami at all.

[Fleshdancer]

15. I'm confused about India...

In this story, it says India is joining an alternate (and dare I say, ridiculous) coalition but then in a different story (also found in LBN) there's a story saying India is refusing outside help. :shrug:

[MaineDem]

25. I wondered about that, too. (nt)

[KDLarsen]

30. The only one refusing help, from what I can tell,

is the Tamil Tigers in northern Sri Lanka, who are refusing aid from the Sri Lankan government.

[damntexdem]

16. How is the U.S. going to have a coalition with India when ...

India is refusing ANY outside aid?

[elsur]

17. No idea .. perhaps India isn't accepting aid for itself but ...

... think they can help other affected countries. I doubt that's it but any other scenario makes one of the two stories wrong.

[Fleshdancer]

19. I wonder if the US spoke too soon?

This whole "coalition" discussion is probably retaliation for the stingy remark anyway.

[Phoebe_in_Sydney]

53. I think it's being reported negatively

... I know that will surprise everyone ;-)

I heard an interview on BBC World Service today with a high-ranking Indian politician (can't remember for sure but might've been Dep. PM?) He was saying it's not that they don't want anyone's help -- and they're very grateful for the offers -- it's just they feel some of the other countries affected need the help more than they do.

In fact, they've contributed $23 mill to help Sri Lanka.

apparently they just put in some major natural disaster emergency relief planning and budget six months ago and they're confident they've got the funding and infrastructure to help themselves, while some of the other harder hit countries are in more urgent need of outside help.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

20. the best system we have got and the one that needs building up,”

ditto Soc. Security, and MediCare, and....

[moondust]

22. Exactly.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1108816&mesg_id=1108940


Notice which countries are in his "coalition". Big and/or wealthy countries that do not sit on the security council and thus may not be entirely happy with their status/lack of influence at the U.N.

[rocktivity]

27. You can't learn from your mistakes if you won't admit you've made them.

Is this not the exact same approach President Mightymouse took towards the UN when he launched his war on terror?

:headbang:
rocknation

[BOHICA06]

28. Only really the UN can do that job

.... sorry but not until the UN can send its own ships and transport aircraft with UN purchased relief supplies can it do the job, and until then, others with the ships & aircaft and money can do the job.

Srebrenica - is the watch word.

[TrustingDog]

33. another sweet deal for 'rebuilders' like Haliburton? n/t

[Jon8503]

34. Typical Smokescreen & Attack On The UN. What Are We

really doing and giving in comparison to other nations around the world.

[no safe haven]

40. No more money left in the kitty

The $US35 million ($A45 million) aid package has drained the US Agency for International Development's emergency relief fund, forcing it to ask Congress or the White House for more money.

http://smh.com.au/news/World/Coalition-will-aid-tsunami-survivors-USs/2004/12/30/1104344894816.html

Hard to say which label is worse - "stingy" or "broke". Maybe riding on the coat-tails of a "coalition" helps save face, plus take a swipe at the UN at the same time.

[JoFerret]

41. Whatever he does

- including dispatching wife and twins - will be enough to shift world perceptions, thereby feeding r/w resentments...etc

[donheld]

43. Is it just me? i would trust Kofi Annan

a million times over W.

[goforit]

44. Funny that India rejected his money!!!

Can they see Satan when they see one, eh?

[Oversea Visitor]

45. While he talks

Australia, India, Japan are already doing things to help
Why do you think not one of this countries want to answer him
So next step
Support EU conference
Next step aaah UN
$20 million as line of credit
Reply Germany lets look at cancelling the existing debt
This all are worldwide news
US reputation has been completely and utterly smash to pieces by him

I also beleive than in someway this Tsunami tradegy will help to prove to the American people the quality of the president

And yes I beleive with all my heart that the people will in the 2004 election was surpressed

How can he with all his failings can he be re elected otherwise

[truthpusher]

46. Again, the US looks like a bunch of assholes, we're fucked!

[daleo]

52. If only their was a coalition the whole world belonged to...

Oh, right, there is. Bush just wants glory on the cheap.