U.N. chief says U.S. must be strong partner
Source: Reuters
(Adds speech to Washington thinktank) By Sue Pleming and Tabassum Zakaria WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - New U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Tuesday for a strong partnership with Washington but said this must not be at the expense of others, regardless of the size or wealth of a member state. In his first meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush since becoming head of the world body, Ban said he hoped the United States would provide strong financial and political support to the world body. But he said in a speech to a Washington think-tank that a "constructive partnership" with the United States could not exclude other U.N. member nations. "Every one of our member states has the right to be heard, whatever the size of its population or its pocketbook," he told the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Nor can our partnership flourish in a climate of fear and mistrust," he added, a reference to tensions in recent years between the Bush administration and the world body, particularly following the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. The United States has been pushing hard since 2005 for reforms to make the U.N. more efficient and flexible in dealing with world crises, with only limited success. Washington's reform drive and a temporary freeze on the U.N. budget irritated many developing nations who feared losing influence over U.N. programs and jobs. Ban said he hoped the United States would become a member of the U.N. Human Rights Council, which Washington has so far said it will not join following a campaign against the new body by former U.S. Ambassador John Bolton. "The stakes are high -- too high -- for the United States to sit on the sidelines," Ban said of the U.S. rejection of joining the Human Rights Council. U.S. DUES Ban said if the organization was to survive it also needed a strong financial base. The United States has consistently lagged in paying dues. "Such a financial base requires the timely and full engagement of the United States government -- administration and Congress alike," said Ban, who referred fondly to a trip he made with other South Korean teenagers to Washington in 1962 to meet then President John F. Kennedy at the White House. In his meetings with Bush at the White House, Ban discussed the Middle East, Darfur, North Korea, and climate change, among other issues that Ban said would be key in the coming years. "The Middle East is a source of grave concern," Ban told reporters after meeting Bush, adding that the "deteriorating situations" in Iraq and Israel needed the "urgent attention" of the international community. "Particularly when it comes to Iraq, the international community should have all possible assistance to help the Iraqi government and people to restore peace and stability and recover from economic devastation," he said. Bush voiced confidence in the new secretary-general. "I admired the way you handled your previous job and I'm confident you will do a fine job now," Bush told the former South Korean foreign minister in the Oval Office. White House spokesman Tony Snow said U.N. reform remained a priority. "It is not beyond repair. The United Nations can play a constructive role, but it needs some work." Snow added: "I think there have obviously been some concerns about the way in which the United Nations spends money and also handles its accounting" but he said the United Nations overall was a "net positive."
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