Post by RPankn on Aug 23, 2005 13:15:33 GMT -5
Bush's 'bruiser' squares up to UN in row over Palestinian propaganda
John Bolton, the controversial new American ambassador to the United Nations, has lodged a protest about its "inappropriate and unacceptable" funding of a Palestinian propaganda campaign to accompany the Gaza withdrawal.
His public complaint is a clear signal that Mr Bolton, who was appointed by President George W Bush over the heads of the United Nations Senate [What is it today with these news corps? First US regimes in Cuba and Iran, now UN Senate?!], is not going to try to appease his critics.
Jewish groups reacted with fury to banners, mugs, bumper stickers and T-shirts bearing the slogan "Today Gaza, Tomorrow the West Bank and Jerusalem" which bore the UN Development Programme logo.
Israelis view the slogan, and particularly the reference to Jerusalem, as an aspiration to destroy the Jewish state.
The dispute became more acrimonious when the UNDP appeared to state that, while it was improper to use the logo, there was nothing wrong with its money being used to produce what has been denounced as incitement.
Kemal Dervis, a UNDP official, responded to a complaint from the American Jewish Congress [These jerks have been running pro-Israeli commercials on a local station which try to pass themselves off as editorials by the station, except it's a Black-owned station so the ploy is transparent. And the narrator's voice is scarey; sounds very robotic.] by saying that the UNDP "cannot be involved in political messaging" and it was "not at all acceptable" that its logo was used.
Yet Timothy Rothermel, head of the organisation's Palestinian programme, was quoted on Fox News, the American cable channel, as saying that the slogan was "consistent with the relevant UN resolutions and Security Council resolutions about the status of Palestine".
UNDP officials argue that the Palestinian Authority has the freedom to use the UN money without each element being reviewed by the world body.
Mr Bolton, whose arrival at the UN was delayed after Democratic leaders blocked a crucial senate vote on his appointment, told the New York Sun that the UNDP's response was not adequate.
"Funding this kind of activity is inappropriate and unacceptable," he said. "We plan to raise the issue with UNDP and with others".
Abraham Foxman, the director of the Anti-Defamation League, said that it was "inappropriate for the UNDP, as an impartial global development organisation, to fund such a political and provocative message".
Democratic senators and some Republicans opposed Mr Bolton's appointment as ambassador to the UN because of his association with the neo-conservative strand of the Bush administration, and his reputation for being bombastic and ideological.
A "floor vote" of all 100 senators was blocked by Democrats because it was apparent that Mr Bolton's nomination would be approved by a majority. Mr Bush lost patience and made a "recess appointment" while senators were on holiday, declaring that Mr Bolton was the man to reform the UN.
The US Republican Party is bitterly critical of the UN. One senator said recently: "The UN is a smorgasbord for tyrants, terrorism-sponsoring states, socialists and people who hate America."
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/08/21/wmid221.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/08/21/ixnewstop.html
John Bolton, the controversial new American ambassador to the United Nations, has lodged a protest about its "inappropriate and unacceptable" funding of a Palestinian propaganda campaign to accompany the Gaza withdrawal.
His public complaint is a clear signal that Mr Bolton, who was appointed by President George W Bush over the heads of the United Nations Senate [What is it today with these news corps? First US regimes in Cuba and Iran, now UN Senate?!], is not going to try to appease his critics.
Jewish groups reacted with fury to banners, mugs, bumper stickers and T-shirts bearing the slogan "Today Gaza, Tomorrow the West Bank and Jerusalem" which bore the UN Development Programme logo.
Israelis view the slogan, and particularly the reference to Jerusalem, as an aspiration to destroy the Jewish state.
The dispute became more acrimonious when the UNDP appeared to state that, while it was improper to use the logo, there was nothing wrong with its money being used to produce what has been denounced as incitement.
Kemal Dervis, a UNDP official, responded to a complaint from the American Jewish Congress [These jerks have been running pro-Israeli commercials on a local station which try to pass themselves off as editorials by the station, except it's a Black-owned station so the ploy is transparent. And the narrator's voice is scarey; sounds very robotic.] by saying that the UNDP "cannot be involved in political messaging" and it was "not at all acceptable" that its logo was used.
Yet Timothy Rothermel, head of the organisation's Palestinian programme, was quoted on Fox News, the American cable channel, as saying that the slogan was "consistent with the relevant UN resolutions and Security Council resolutions about the status of Palestine".
UNDP officials argue that the Palestinian Authority has the freedom to use the UN money without each element being reviewed by the world body.
Mr Bolton, whose arrival at the UN was delayed after Democratic leaders blocked a crucial senate vote on his appointment, told the New York Sun that the UNDP's response was not adequate.
"Funding this kind of activity is inappropriate and unacceptable," he said. "We plan to raise the issue with UNDP and with others".
Abraham Foxman, the director of the Anti-Defamation League, said that it was "inappropriate for the UNDP, as an impartial global development organisation, to fund such a political and provocative message".
Democratic senators and some Republicans opposed Mr Bolton's appointment as ambassador to the UN because of his association with the neo-conservative strand of the Bush administration, and his reputation for being bombastic and ideological.
A "floor vote" of all 100 senators was blocked by Democrats because it was apparent that Mr Bolton's nomination would be approved by a majority. Mr Bush lost patience and made a "recess appointment" while senators were on holiday, declaring that Mr Bolton was the man to reform the UN.
The US Republican Party is bitterly critical of the UN. One senator said recently: "The UN is a smorgasbord for tyrants, terrorism-sponsoring states, socialists and people who hate America."
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/08/21/wmid221.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/08/21/ixnewstop.html
