Clinton wants to be UN sec general
 

By ROLAND FLAMINI, UPI Chief International Correspondent

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has set his sights on becoming U.N. secretary-general. A Clinton insider and a senior U.N. source have told United Press International the 56-year-old former president would like to be named leader of the world body when Kofi Annan's term ends early in 2006.

"He definitely wants to do it," the Clinton insider said this week.

A Clinton candidacy is likely to receive overwhelming support from U.N. member states, particularly the Third World. Diplomats in Washington say Clinton would galvanize the United Nations and give an enormous boost to its prestige. But the former president's hopes hang on a crucial question that will not be addressed until after the presidential elections: can he get the support of the U.S. government -- a prerequisite for nomination?

The political wisdom is that a second George W. Bush presidency would cut him off at the pass. The notion of Clinton looming large in the international arena from "the glass tower" in New York would be intolerable to the Bush White House. If Democratic candidate, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., wins on Nov. 2 the prospect of Clinton as secretary-general won't exactly be welcome either, but Kerry would find it much harder -- if not impossible -- to go against it.

After a Middle East U.N. Secretary General (Boutros Boutros Ghali) and an African (Kofi Annan) it is generally considered Asia's turn to fill the post, U.N. experts say. No announcement has been made, but behind the scenes China is already pushing the candidacy of Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, who also seems to have U.S. support. If Clinton does emerge as a candidate, however, China would most likely shift its support, the experts say.

No American has ever been U.N. secretary-general, but the United States is both host country to the United Nations and the major contributor to its budget. A hostile U.S. Congress held up its dues for years -- until the Clinton administration negotiated a payment plan for Washington's arrears. Clinton also revived U.S. membership of UNESCO though the Americans did not actually move back into their offices at the Paris-based scientific and cultural U.N. agency until after the start of the Bush presidency.

President Reagan had taken the United States out of UNESCO in protest against alleged corruption by former top agency officials.

Clinton is currently recovering from the heart bypass surgery he had to undergo last month, and this has kept him away from the Kerry campaign after a few initial support appearances. The former president has told friends and Kerry staffers he plans to resume campaigning for Kerry, but on a limited scale because his recovery has been gradual. He has talked of his interest in taking over at the United Nations since the publication of his commercially successful autobiography, which he recently said had sold 1.9 million copies. Writing the book kept him busy after leaving office in 2000, but he is now ready to channel his considerable political skills and energy into another role in public life.

There had been rumors that he would run the Third Way organization, the world Social Democratic movement he had talked of launching together with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. But the political alliance had come unstuck and the idea ran out of steam partly because Blair and Schroeder found themselves on opposite sides in the Bush-led Iraq war.

Putting Clinton in charge of the United Nations would be a real test of international intentions, observers say.

"Critics of the U.N. complain that it's an organization without the muscle and will to put its decisions into effect," the U.N. source observed. "There's a good chance that Clinton could significantly change that situation, and then we'll see if the critics mean what they say."




Copyright 2004 by United Press International.
All rights reserved.


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Awesome.

If he wants the position, I hope he gets it. I don't see how it could hurt anyone, and he might (although I wouldn't bet on it) make the position not useless.

Doesn't sound bad to me. I love my chapter brother!

Clinton was a frat guy? I honestly didn't know that. What rock have I been under?

He pledged Alpha Phi Omega, Mu Alpha Chapter at Georgetown University on the Spring 1966 line.

I'm just surprised that there's someone who is surprised that President Clinton has further ambitions!

Exactly how many years did he work in a non-governmental (read: not funded by taxpayers) office?

Almost anyone would be better than Kofi Annan.

Why would anyone be better than Annan?

I think Annan has done a great job, funny not too many people had complaints about him until he disagreed w/little Bushy's war.

Or, on the flip side, did nada about the genocide in Sudan until media glare made that impossible...

I dunno about Clinton. After all, the National Enquirer I read in the checkout line says he is having mental lapses as a result of his bypass surgery. And you know what "they" say. If it's in the NE it MUST be true. ;)

I would be surprised if someone from the US became U.N. Secretary General.

Kofi Annan lives one block away from me. I have seen him surrounded by security. People cheer and honk their horns for him. I guess he's popular around here.

Funny how the UN scandal about him and his son were eventually revealed. If overseeing a corrupt UN, in which his participated, is doing a great job, then we all do a great job.

That made no sense.

-Rudey

no seriously, you have much more experience in the area, let me know if the NYT article smashing Annan's kid to bits has some fallacies - otherwise, that's a pretty strong indictment of that particular part of the UN.

I'm saying, let the investigation led by Paul Volcker go on its course before passing judgement. I have confidence on Paul Volcker, Justice Richard Goldstone, and Prof. Mark Pieth will give us the answer to the Food for Oil scandal.

The evidence is being presented to us as we proceed, correct?

-Rudey

Yes, but I'm waiting for the final report to be given. I enourage everybody to wait until the three gentlemen gets done with their job. They are nowhere near being done. They have list names of firms who were involved in the Oil for Food. However, this does not mean that they were involved in the scam.

They don't just have a list of names who participated in Oil for Food, they have more if you look at the thread I created.

And I have full confidence that every US administration, including the Bush administration would pressure the UN report not to be scathing and to leave certain people off the hook.

-Rudey

I agree with you. I think the three gentlemen will not leave anything to change. If they are being blocked, they will say so. If it's not going according to their liking, they will resign. I've met Goldstone and he is one of the most brilliant jurist in the world, he led the Rwanda tribunal. Volcker is the former Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Prof. Mark Pieth, who is an expert in money laundering.

ETA: The Commission has recently announced the Russia is profited the most from the Oil for Food Programm.

No I think you misinterpreted. I think even the 9/11 report was watered down. I think this report will be too. Anyway, every time I come across articles on this and the blood money profits I put it in that thread.

-Rudey

If they have released the names and everything is transparent, how will they watered it down?

I don't think they will release everything if it means that the UN will be insulted at a time when they need the UN's help in Iraq. I also don't think everything is transparent, and I'm not alone.

-Rudey

Ah, I see now. We are talking about two different commissions. There are two commissions that is investigating the Oil for Food, one is run by congress, and the other one by the UN.

Real American support of the UN.... that's great!

The congressional investigation (is that what it's called?) was created as a response to the fears of the UN investigation being fiddled with. And it's funny because even the congressional investigation would suffer from the Bush administrations forceful hand.

-Rudey

I do have some misgiving about the way Volcker is handling the his commission. Personally, I think it is not transparent enough. We don't even know who his staff are. But like I said, I will withold judgement until the final result are out. You can always tell a watered down report when you read one.

I'm not really sure what they officially called the congressional investigations. I do know that the investigation, just like most investigations, is now investigating more then the oil for food and has started investigating how the Bush administration has handled the post war programs.

anyways... back on thread topic:
I think Clinton would fit in with the UN- after all, as president of the US he sat by and did nothing during the genocide in Rwanda- just like the UN!

I don't like the idea of America being the world's police already and then also having an American as Sec Gen of the UN....especially Bill Clinton.

ETA: I think Joscka Fischer should take a stab at the job.

I highly doubt Clinton will get the job. There is no way a member of the Perm 5 will be considered for the top job. Beside, it always go through continentai cycle and it's Asia's turn to get the top job. From what I've herd, it will either be a Malaysian or a Thai that will get the job. I can't remember the names, but I believe they are a former vice president and foreign minister.