cannabisnews.com: UN Cut US Off As Drug Monitor 





UN Cut US Off As Drug Monitor 
Posted by FoM on May 08, 2001 at 00:08:59 PT
By Tom Carter, The Washington Times 
Source: Washington Times 
The United States was voted off the U.N. international drug monitoring agency last week, on the same day it lost its seat in the U.N. Human Rights Commission, U.N. and U.S. officials said yesterday. Both actions caused outrage on Capitol Hill, and legislators vowed retaliation, possibly including a freeze on the payment of almost $600 million in long-postponed U.N. dues. 
"The United Nations stuck their finger in our eye. There is a danger that the United Nations made a serious mistake here, and there will be consequences," said John Feehrey, spokesman for House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Illinois Republican. Anger that the United States has been voted off the U.N. human rights agency in Geneva is "broad-based and bipartisan," said one senior Republican aide. But agreement on what to do next is not. The House is scheduled to vote this week on an $8.2 million State Department authorization bill, which contains $582 million in back dues to the United Nations. Many members are talking about introducing an amendment before a deadline at noon today that would withhold the payment in retaliation. Other lawmakers said American interests would be better served by trying to force reforms in the way the commission operates. Either way, "there will be action and a clear signal will be sent," said the GOP aide. "It will be a bad week for the U.N." On Thursday, the 53 members of the U.N. Economic and Social Council voted in New York to determine next year's Human Rights Commission membership. Western Europe -- including the United States, Canada and New Zealand -- is allotted three seats, and this year there were four candidates. The United States, which has been a member since 1947, was promised at least 40 votes in the secret ballot, but managed to get just 29. France, Austria and Sweden were elected instead. The United States also lost its seat on the International Narcotics Control Board, officials said yesterday. Washington campaigned for a third term for U.S. Ambassador Herbert Okun, who had served as vice president on the INCB. He was voted off Thursday in the same secret-ballot procedure and by the same countries that cost the United States its seat on the human rights commission. "That, we find very regrettable," U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said yesterday. "We intend to continue our engagement on the international narcotics issues. We will continue our cooperation with and strong support for the U.N. international drug control program as well as with the International Narcotics Control Board." U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke briefly to reporters yesterday upon his arrival at the U.N. headquarters in New York. "I can understand the frustration, shock and surprise," Mr. Annan said. "This was a decision by the member states. It is one of the vagueries of democracy. When people vote, you don't know which way it will come out." A U.N. spokeswoman in Washington said the United Nations should not be punished for actions beyond its control. "We hope the United Nations will not be held responsible for a vote by the member states," said Marie-Catherine Parmly. Rep. Christopher H. Smith, New Jersey Republican, who was in Geneva last month to lobby for the censure of Sudan, China and Cuba for human rights abuses, said the commission needs to develop rules setting minimum standards for membership. "This action underscores the hypocrisy of the United Nations, and it makes payment of the back dues very difficult," he said yesterday. "What are Syria, China and Sudan doing on the committee in good standing? It is outrageous." Mr. Smith said one of the options discussed was to find a way to force countries to open their doors to U.N.-appointed human rights monitors or internationally recognized organizations like the Red Cross or Amnesty International. "The issue of membership is paramount. There needs to be a minimum threshold for membership," he said. Mr. Smith said he believed the loss of the seat was "payback" from European nations, which resent the United States for its strong stand against human rights abuses. He said Europeans, in pursuit of business with "rogue nations," favor a more tepid response to human rights violators. "They were all worried about their next contract from Beijing," he said. Source: Washington Times (DC) Author: Tom Carter, The Washington TimesPublished: May 08, 2001Copyright: 2001 News World Communications, Inc. Contact: letters washtimes.com Website: http://www.washtimes.com/ Related Articles & Web Sites:U.N. Human Rights Commissionhttp://www.unhchr.ch/International Narcotics Control Boardhttp://www.incb.org/U.S. Loses Seat on U.N. Narcotics Control Boardhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9625.shtmlU.S. May Withhold U.N. Payments http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9594.shtmlU.S. Loses Seat on U.N. Rights Body http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9587.shtml 
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Comment #6 posted by jorma nash on May 08, 2001 at 17:05:54 PT
watch these developments...
watch these developments...i think this is a signalthat foriegn policymakers, who have been privately sick of the WoSD,are finally upset enough and do something radical,like dare to tell the U.S. your policy is brokenand we won't play along anymore.
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Comment #5 posted by meahgain on May 08, 2001 at 14:38:22 PT
Thank you United Nations!
thsi si well deserved and I LOVE IT!!1 Years ago I had thought about writings some letters to the UN concerning marijuana prohibition I am thinkin maybe it would really be a good idea !
www.un.org
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Comment #4 posted by John Markes on May 08, 2001 at 13:57:44 PT
US Government Forgets What Democracy Is...
 US Government Forgets What Democracy Is...For losing committee seats by a democratic vote of the member countries, the United States government has threatened to not pay its PAST debts to the UN. For too long the USA has been the new bully-boy in the world, replacing such predecesors as the USSR and the Nazi regime. They use such manipulating techniques as this to try to force everyone to pander the their hypocritical policies. The United States lost the seat on the Human-Rights committee for being one of the major human rights violators. The narcotics committee seat loss stems from the poor policy practices forced on most of the world by the USA. These policies created and sustain the illegal drug markets the USA claims to be trying to counter. The crime, social ills, and economic and environmental damages are a direct result of the USA refusing to do its duty to regulate these items instead of allowing the damages caused by these policies. They dare not admit it, even though everyone else already does. The polititions of Capitol Hill are now viewed as the greatest hypocrits of the political world. With the largest per capita prison population in the world, the largest number of para-military attack on it's own citizens, per capita, in the world, and the greatest supporter of the illegal drug black market by policy (it wouldn't exist if regulated), the USA has become the greatest instigator of social ills in the world, while continuing to hilariously think everyone will continue to take the sugar-coated blather they can't seem to stop. A severe lack of perception, and the continuing idea that everyone will continue to blindly follow, just because, has become pathetic in the eyes of the world, even while the American citizens are starting to resist the same from within. The death knoll of the money-driven drug-war is sounding. The world is tired of false promises and a never-ending supply of corpses and social ills. It's a wonder they were so nice about it, simply voting the United States out of the committees.
Alliance for Reform of Drug Policy in Arkansas
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Comment #3 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on May 08, 2001 at 13:46:51 PT:
Why Not Self-Examination?
Rather than blame the UN, the extremists in Washington should engage in a little reflection on the terrible abuses of our foreign and domestic policies. We should not have a monopoly on power in this international body. Given recent politics, I certainly trust Europeans, Canadians, Australians and others to judge the issues more fairly than Amerika.
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Comment #2 posted by Sudaca on May 08, 2001 at 13:37:55 PT
Here it is
The list of countries in the board (had to hunt a bit) see the new addition :-)Seven countries - Iran, Brazil, India, Peru, France, the Netherlands , and Austria - were elected to the board Thursday. China, Russia, Nigeria, Turkey, Mexico, and Chile complete their current terms in 2005. 
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Comment #1 posted by dankhank on May 08, 2001 at 13:29:47 PT:
Spoiled
So the spoiled little b*tches and b*stards that think they are head and shoulders above the rest got their collective noses tweaked???If it were possible to step back and take an unabashed, open-minded view of recent events the United States and it's "representatives" could conclude that maybe they haven't "played nice" lately and the rest of the nations felt that a thumb in the eye was appropriate.In a classic fit of pique the United States will now threaten to "take the ball and go home." a childish response to a clear call for some kind of change in the way business is done and controlled by the good ol' USA.So listen up you so-called "Leaders of the Free World." It's time to play nice on the world arena and stop thinking that you have ALL of the answers.The Europeans are ahead on the drug front. Decriminilization is the way to go. The impending appointment of John Walters as Drug Czar signals America's unwillingness to change anything with regards the the drug issue.The continuing penchant for White Police Officers in the USA to shoot unarmed Black men makes a laughing stock of America when She claims to have the answer to human rights issues. Nevertheless, the USA is livid, and threatens "payback" for the imagined, and real, slaps in the face.Hey!! America claims to be a Christian nation, too. Didn't Jesus Christ say to turn the other cheek? We can't even do that when the result is so minimal as to be only insult.Guess we knew that, also, since we never did give a satisfactory apology to the wife and parents of the Chinese pilot that "Top-Gunned" his way into the history books.Wanna bet that the Chinese pilots have all seen "Top Gun?"Those who fear for America and it's future would be wise to read a very good book by the late John Brunner titled "The Sheep Look Up."
HEMP n STUFF
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