<i>Analysis</i>: Bush Should Beware of U.N.'s Annan

Analysis: Bush Should Beware of U.N.'s Annan

Wes Vernon
Saturday, March 24, 2001

WASHINGTON – President Bush met late Friday behind closed doors with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Shortly after the Oval Office meeting began, the president called reporters in to say that his administration thinks Annan "is doing an excellent job as secretary-general of the United Nations."

Many of the president's supporters do not share that view.

Some have noted the secretary-general is a strong opponent of Bush's plan to deploy National Missile Defense to protect America from enemy missiles. There is some irony, in their view, in that the president welcomed Annan on the 20th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan's 1983 announcement of the missile protection program. It is widely believed that Reagan's refusal to give up NMD's predecessor, Strategic Defense Initiative, played a major part in the collapse of the Soviet Union, which was simply unable to keep pace.

For his part, Annan said he was looking forward to "our discussions this afternoon." The issues specifically named by Annan were "HIV-AIDS, poverty, the Balkans and African issues."

"Mr. Annan is a nice gentleman, but he typically does not hold sovereignty in high esteem," Cathie Adams, Eagle Forum's representative to U.N. conferences, told NewsMax.com.

Annan 'No Friend of America'

"He’s charming. He smiles. But he's no friend of America," said Cliff Kincaid, president of America's Survival Inc.

Before the meeting, I had asked a White House operative if this plain-speaking Texan planned to discuss with Annan some of his more anti-American positions. There was no word on whether these issues would come up.

Adams, who has attended about "eight or nine" international conferences held under U.N. auspices, says the president has a political problem when it comes to publicly taking on a high U.N. official. And that is that the American people are blissfully ignorant of how the United Nations is whittling away U.S. sovereignty.

The Dow can be tumbling 200 or 300 points in a given day, and without any sign of embarrassment or sense of the ridiculous TV anchors will break into a financial news program (as happened recently on CNN) to inform us breathlessly of the latest in a trial involving a rap star nicknamed "Puffy."

Yet those same mainstream media do not consider it "news" that the secretary-general of the United Nations supports policies that would shut down our country (the Kyoto global warming treaty) and make the Great Depression of the 1930s look like a tea party, or that he supports the International Criminal Court, which could yank Americans away from the protection of our justice system and put them at the mercy of a foreign court on trumped-up charges by our enemies.

Adams says she hopes that in our dealings with Annan and with the U.N. in general, "America’s best interest will be the first concern" of our officials.

Some of the U.N. treaties are pre-empting our Constitution, she says.

When I asked her what would happen if push really came to shove on this and if we had to choose between, on the one hand, the freedoms we take for granted in this country, and U.N. edicts on the other hand, Adams replied, "If it came to economics [such as the Kyoto treaty kicking in], you can be sure the American people would rise up and say ‘No way!’ " But on other matters, she is not so sure, because "it is happening so gradually" and people are not being told what is at stake.

Adams points out, for example, that few are aware that Annan has said, "It is my fervent hope that the International Criminal Court will have unquestioned authority and the widest possible jurisdiction."

That was one quote that was not repeated during the brief photo-op when Annan met with Bush Friday.

Making Nice

Instead, we were treated to diplomatic niceties such as the president's statement, "I appreciate your willingness to serve a second term, Mr. Secretary-General, and I'm looking forward to working not only to make sure that you serve a second term, but, once thats done, work closely with you to keep the peace and make the world more prosperous."

Two observations on that one paragraph:

It's obvious from the president's clarification of his stand on the theory of global warming that he does not see eye to eye with Annan's views on what constitutes "prosperity," surely not a treaty that would shut down America.

Supporting Annan for a second term is a bad idea, according to Kindcaid of America's Survival. He thinks the president should have used the meeting as "an opportunity to tell Annan that the U.S. will oppose his bid for a second term as U.N. boss. … Sacking Annan would send a message that America is serious about missile defense."

In fairness to Bush, there's no way right now of knowing whether his discussion with Annan became more frank once the reporters left and the two were left face to face behind closed doors.

All About Annan

But some supporters of the president think he should watch his back when dealing with Kofi Annan. And, aside from issues mentioned above, here are some of the reasons, as outlined by Kincaid. Annan:

Made a deal with Saddam Hussein, leading to the expulsion of weapons inspectors and Iraq's re-emergence as an international security threat.

Made a deal with Libyan dictator Moamar Gadhafi, giving him immunity in the Pan Am 103 terrorism case.

Supports the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, voted down by the U.S. Senate.

Supports the ABM Treaty, which would tie America's hands on missile defense and has been violated by Russia and the Soviets.

Collaborated with Hillary Clinton and Bella Abzug to promote abortion as an "international right."

In a Notre Dame speech, smeared the U.S. as a greedy nation.

Supports global taxes to support the U.N.

Lent support to an international ban on the death penalty in the U.S. and other nations.

Promotes "global debt relief," a cover for the transfer of more U.S. wealth to deadbeat socialist Third World dictatorships.

Covered up the fact that U.N. soldiers were spreading AIDS throughout the world.

That is just a partial list, but it is enough to indicate what the secretary-general thinks of America.

Adams has had plenty of experience traveling to U.N. international conferences where seemingly "nice" and "normal" people walk around advocating police-state ideas that would alarm most Americans who hope to continue growing up in the land of the free with the right to raise their children without interference from the state. This assumed right would be infringed by the U.N.'s Convention on the Rights of the Child.

What worries many people who are aware that this is going on is that these internationalists leave an "inmates running the asylum" impression, as if to say, "Doesn’t everybody think so?"

That is why many who wish this president well are hoping that in dealing with Annan, he will watch his back.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Bush Administration
United Nations

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