[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 46 (Tuesday, April 25, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3515-S3516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 442--EXPRESSING THE DEEP DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE SENATE 
 WITH RESPECT TO THE ELECTION OF IRAN TO A LEADERSHIP POSITION IN THE 
 UNITED NATIONS DISARMAMENT COMMISSION AND REQUESTING THE PRESIDENT TO 
WITHHOLD FUNDING TO THE UNITED NATIONS UNLESS CREDIBLE REFORMS ARE MADE

  Mr. COLEMAN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 442

       Whereas the United Nations has continuously failed to meet 
     minimal reform expectations, including those outlined in the 
     September Summit Outcome Document;
       Whereas the United Nations has allowed member states acting 
     in defiance of their obligations to the United Nations to 
     enjoy full participatory rights and leadership positions in 
     all bodies of the United Nations;
       Whereas the mandate of the charter of the United Nations 
     that protects international peace and security is 
     significantly hindered by the placement of pariah states in 
     leadership positions within various commissions;
       Whereas the credibility of the United Nations has been 
     further crippled by the fact that Iran was elected to serve 
     as the vice chair of the Asia regional group of the United 
     Nations Disarmament Commission;
       Whereas Iran has committed many acts of malfeasance with 
     respect to its nuclear program that makes it an unacceptable 
     candidate for the United Nations Disarmament Commission, 
     including--
       (1) developing a clandestine nuclear program for 18 years 
     prior to 2003;
       (2) repeatedly deceiving the International Atomic Energy 
     Agency about a variety of nuclear-related activities;
       (3) failing to provide inspectors from the International 
     Atomic Energy Agency with access to various nuclear sites;
       (4) refusing to answer questions related to its nuclear 
     program;
       (5) reneging on its commitments under the Paris Accords of 
     November 2004, which included the suspension of uranium 
     enrichment activities; and
       (6) announcing its success in achieving uranium enrichment 
     capabilities, which represented a brazen affront to the 
     international community;
       Whereas other actions and rhetoric by Iran have perpetuated 
     its record of terror and tyranny, and warranted its isolation 
     from the international community at the United Nations, 
     including--
       (1) continuing its calls for the annihilation of Israel, 
     which is a member state of the United Nations;
       (2) actively sponsoring terrorism through groups including 
     Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, which prompted the 
     Department of State to classify Iran as the ``most active 
     state sponsor of terrorism in 2004''; and
       (3) continuing its efforts to destabilize neighboring 
     countries by meddling in the affairs of those countries, 
     including Iraq, Israel, and Lebanon; and
       Whereas, while Iran continues to enjoy full participatory 
     rights and privileges as a member state of the United 
     Nations, the overall conduct of Iran is a direct threat to 
     world security and violates numerous fundamental principles 
     on which the United Nations is based: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) expresses its deep disappointment with respect to the 
     failure of the Asia group members of the United Nations 
     Disarmament Commission to stop the election of Iran as the 
     vice chair of that body;
       (2) asserts that the United Nations Disarmament Commission 
     has no credibility on disarmament issues due to the 
     participation of Iran, particularly in light of the defiance 
     of Iran in disregarding resolutions passed by the 
     International Atomic Energy Agency and the Security Council 
     Presidential Statement relating to its nuclear program;
       (3) calls on the United States to reject all resolutions 
     passed by the discredited United Nations Disarmament 
     Commission;
       (4) condemns the continued intransigence of Iran with 
     respect to its--
       (A) nuclear program;
       (B) treatment of Israel; and
       (C) sponsorship of terror;
       (5) shall work to ensure that funding from the United 
     States is withheld from--
       (A) the regular budget of the United Nations in the amount 
     that is directed towards the activities of the United Nations 
     Disarmament Commission; and
       (B) any commission of the United Nations in which the worst 
     violators of the principles it claims to promote are included 
     in its membership, including the new Human Rights Council;
       (6) calls on the United Nations to deny Iran from 
     participating in any commission of the United Nations until 
     it--
       (A) complies with its obligations under the Non-
     Proliferation Treaty and International Atomic Energy Agency 
     resolutions;
       (B) halts--
       (i) all uranium enrichment activities; and
       (ii) all calls for the destruction of Israel; and
       (C) withdraws support from terrorist groups; and
       (7) calls on the President to--
       (A) closely monitor the progress of the United Nations on 
     reform; and
       (B) exercise the option of the President to withhold 
     funding unless credible reforms are made prior to discussions 
     on the biannual budget.

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I rise to submit a sense-of-the Senate 
resolution expressing the deepest disappointment of the Senate with 
respect to the election of Iran to a leadership position on the United 
Nations Disarmament Commission and request the President to withhold 
funding to the United Nations unless credible reforms are made.
  A couple of observations, Mr. President. In light of the Oil-For-Food 
scandal, it was my great hope that we would see a movement toward 
reform in the United Nations. The Secretary General had put forth some 
proposed reforms. There was some discussion about whether the U.N. 
Commission on Human Rights was going to be reformed. Unfortunately, the 
energy was there, the hope was there, and we seemed to be moving in the 
wrong direction.
  On May 9, for the new Human Rights Council, elections will be held. 
It appears that Cuba may be appointed to the new Human Rights Council.
  The recommendations from the Secretary General for minimum reform are 
now coming under attack by something called the G-77, the underlying 
nations, which may dismantle those. A little tremor occurred just about 
a week ago, and to some people it may be a little thing, but it is not. 
It is symbolic of some of the things we face with the United Nations.
  Just recently, Iran was elected to the U.N. Disarmament Commission. 
Some may say that this is a very minor commission; it is an inactive 
forum; it only meets 3 weeks a year, the U.N. Commission on 
Disarmament. We have Iran out there thumbing its nose at the 
international community hell-bent on getting a nuclear weapon. And by 
the way, they said what they are going to do with it. They said they 
want to destroy Israel. That is what they said they are going to do. 
Hitler told us what he wanted to do and the world didn't listen. God 
forbid there is an explosion of an atomic weapon in Tel Aviv or Haifa. 
They have already said where it is going to come from, this is what we 
are going to do.
  So Iran gets elected to the U.N. Commission on Disarmament. In some 
ways it doesn't make sense. In some ways it is absurd, but it does 
require comment. It does require a response. It does require folks to 
say: I don't care whether it meets 3 weeks a year or 1 week a year or 
50 weeks a year. This is something that highlights the absurdity of 
what is happening today in this international body.
  It is interesting that, as expected, Iran is already making efforts 
to convert the Disarmament Commission into yet another forum for 
antisemitism. Last week, at a working group meeting, Iran's 
representative to

[[Page S3516]]

the Disarmament Commission stated that the suggestion that Iran had a 
nuclear weapons program was Jewish propaganda fabricated by the Jewish 
lobby in the United States. These brazenly antisemitic comments were 
objected to by our American representative, but other members, 
including the chair of the working group, remained silent.
  I am disturbed by the moral indifference that the U.N. has reached 
where you have a member state seeking nuclear weapons with the 
expressed intention of destroying another member state, and that member 
state, Iran, is allowed to serve as the Vice Chair of the Disarmament 
Commission. That is completely unacceptable, to say the least. I am 
disappointed that the Asian member states did not step up to contest 
the candidacy of Iran.
  This is what is happening: You have regional groupings, so each 
state, regional groupings, pick their members. The United States 
doesn't get involved in this. It is up to the member states, the Asian 
members. But somebody has to be thinking this doesn't make sense. This 
is going to cast a negative pall over the international community's 
reflection about what the United Nations community is all about. It is 
another step back at a time when we need to be moving forward.
  It is the responsibility of member states at the U.N. to step up and 
prevent the system from being manipulated by pariah states such as Iran 
that are looking to pursue their destructive agendas. Iran is probably 
the major state sponsor of terrorism in the world today. Iran says they 
want to destroy Israel. Iran supports terrorism and Iran is intent on 
getting a nuclear weapon.
  We do not control what other member states do, but we should make the 
position of the United States clear. The United States should not be 
funding institutions that not only undermine the very principles they 
claim to promote but directly harm U.S. interests. A disarmament 
commission with Iran in a leadership position should be condemned by 
the United States and we should make a statement. I have been very 
hesitant to talk about holding back funding, but we are going in the 
wrong direction. I will be back on the floor if Cuba gets appointed, 
gets elected to this new human rights council. I will be back on the 
floor. At a certain point in time you have to expect something. Much is 
given, much is received. We have given the U.N. a lot of money. We have 
given a lot of support. There are expectations then and they are not 
being met.
  Lest someone has failed to be aware of Iran's deeds, let me review 
some of the credentials for being excluded from the commission. Iran 
has repeatedly deceived the IAEA about a variety of nuclear-related 
activities, failed to provide IAEA inspectors access to various nuclear 
sites, and refused to answer outstanding questions that led to its 
nuclear program. It reneged on its commitments under the Paris Accord 
of 2004, which included the suspension of uranium enrichment 
activities.
  Again, I talked about the actions and rhetoric of the Iranian regime 
to perpetuate a record of terror and tyranny which also warrants 
isolation from the international community at the U.N., including calls 
for the annihilation of Israel, active sponsorship of terrorism through 
groups including Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, meddling in the 
affairs of neighboring countries such as Iraq and Israel and Lebanon.
  The overall conduct of Iran is a direct threat to world security. It 
violates numerous fundamental principles on which the United Nations is 
based. Yet it continues to enjoy full participatory rights and 
privileges as a member state of the U.N. In fact, it gets rewarded by a 
leadership position on the disarmament commission. Such a situation is 
beyond comprehension.
  The resolution I plan to submit does the following. It expresses deep 
disappointment in the failure of the Asian group members of the 
disarmament commission to stop Iran's election as the vice chair of the 
body. It asserts the disarmament commission has no credibility on 
disarmament issues due to Iran's participation, particularly in the 
light of Iran's defiance of the IAEA resolutions and the Security 
Council presidential statement regarding its nuclear program. It calls 
on the U.S. to reject all resolutions passed by the discredited 
disarmament commission, condemns Iran's continued intransigence with 
regard to the treatment of Israel and sponsorship of terror and, 
finally, works to ensure that U.S. funding is withheld from the U.N. in 
the amount that is directed toward the disarmament commission's 
activities from its regular budget.
  We are not talking about a lot of money here. What we are talking 
about is making a statement--making a statement. We call upon the 
President to closely monitor U.N. progress on reform and to exercise 
his option to withhold funding unless credible reforms are made prior 
to the discussions of the biannual budget in June.
  What do you do? In the U.S. we ask the question, What shall we do 
when those who enforce the law break the law? In the international 
context we are asking, What do we do when a key voice in disarmament is 
given to one of the world's most willful sponsors of terrorism at a 
time when they are ignoring the international community in their quest 
for nuclear weapons?
  The response is just to say no. Civilized nations must speak with one 
voice. That statement should begin right here with the passage of my 
resolution.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring this resolution. The 
error of the United Nations is serious. To be silent in the face of it 
would be far worse.

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