[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 62 (Thursday, May 12, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H3243]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       BOLTON FOR U.N. AMBASSADOR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of John Bolton's 
nomination as our ambassador to the United Nations.
  Although I am not able to vote on his nomination, since I am not a 
Member of the United States Senate, I encourage my colleagues in the 
Senate to support his nomination. I am pleased that the Senate 
Committee on Foreign Relations has agreed today to put his nomination 
before the full Senate for an up-or-down vote.
  Mr. Speaker, the United Nations is in serious need of reform. From 
enforcing the resolutions the United Nations and its member countries 
have adopted over the years, to its misuse of funds for many programs 
across the world, the U.N. is in serious need of reform. Mr. Speaker, 
the United Nations is rife with fraud, mismanagement, and abuse in many 
areas of its operations. From the U.N. Oil-for-Food program, to its 
lack of action with respect to the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, to the 
horrendous human rights abuses during the U.N. mission in the Congo, 
the U.N. is in serious need of reform.
  I think we can all agree that the most urgent threat to international 
peace and security today is terrorism, yet the U.N. cannot even agree 
upon a definition for terrorism. Perhaps this is because its membership 
consists of several terror-sponsoring states. The U.N. counts the 
world's leading human rights violators and repressive governments among 
its membership, and even taps many of them to be in leadership 
positions on its subcommittees. I find this completely outrageous and 
dangerously ironic.
  Last time I checked, the U.N. charter states that it is supposed to 
``maintain international peace and security; to promote equal rights 
and self-determination of peoples without distinction as to race, sex, 
language, or religion; to help solve problems of an economic, social, 
cultural, or humanitarian character; to encourage social progress and 
better standards of life in larger freedom.''
  The U.N. needs reform and Mr. Bolton is the right man to voice our 
encouragement for these reforms. Mr. Bolton has a proven track record 
in working with the United Nations in the past. In conjunction with 
efforts by Secretary James Baker to resolve conflict in the Western 
Sahara, he actually worked for the U.N. pro bono between 1997 and 2000. 
While serving as Assistant Secretary of State for International 
Organizations from 1989 to 1993, he worked on other key diplomatic 
initiatives and U.N. reforms, including the repayment of arrearages in 
U.N. assessments that had been created during the 1980s. He has worked 
tirelessly in various capacities to help combat the spread of dangerous 
weapons of mass destruction through his lengthy and distinguished 
career.
  Mr. Bolton has served this Nation well. There is no doubt in my mind 
that he will serve our great Nation with distinction and will be a 
strong voice for reform at a time when the United Nations desperately 
needs it. I applaud his nomination and encourage his approval by the 
Senate to serve our great Nation. Let Mr. Bolton be our voice to the 
U.N. that these reforms must be made.

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