Senate presses UN to enact reforms

By Mark Turner 
March 27, 2006
The Financial Times
Original Source: http://news.ft.com/cms/s/e903726c-bde0-11da-a998-0000779e2340.html

Henry Hyde, chairman of the US House International Relations Committee, announced on Monday that he would amend his threat to withhold UN funding if it did not adequately reform, and that he would negotiate a new text with Tom Lantos, his Democratic counterpart.
In a reworked version of last year’s legislation, the Secretary of State will now take the decision whether or not to withhold funds on the basis on a series of reform benchmarks. The Senate had opposed the original version, which envisaged an automatic cut-off in 2008 if standards were not met.
“The Senate is unenthusiastic about our (original) legislation,” Mr Hyde told journalists, during a visit to the United Nations. “I am anxious to get something the Senate will smile upon.”
Mr Lantos called My Hyde’s climb-down an “extremely far-sighted and statesmanlike move. We now have legislation all of us can support.”
The decision came despite US disappointment at the UN’s adoption of a new Human Rights Council, to replace the discredited Human Rights Commission in Geneva, but which fell short of Washington’s demands.
Both Mr Lantos and Mr Hyde said that despite the council’s shortcomings, the US should cooperate with the new body and stand for membership on it. “It’s certainly not what we wanted, but it’s the best that’s available,” said Mr Hyde. “You do what you can with what’s at hand.”
In a recent op-ed, Mr Lantos argued: “we must do our utmost to ensure that the United States is amongst its first members. The new council...offers critical, groundbreaking achievements.”
The announcement came as Jan Eliasson, the president of the General Assembly who mediated negotiations on the new council, was appointed Sweden’s foreign minister.
He will formally take office on 24 April, but will also continue as GA President. Mr Eliasson’s predecessor, Jean Ping of Gabon, also held both posts at the same time.