U.N. General Assembly Mired in Controversy

U.N. General Assembly Mired in Controversy

Stewart Stogel
Sunday, July 8, 2007

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UNITED NATIONS - The 2007 U.N. General Assembly is already mired in controversy more than two months before it kicks off in September.

The annual opening session sparks a two-week talk-a-thon and the global "statesmen" are already lining up to take to the podium.

For some, the names presented reads like a rogue's gallery.

More than 110 world "leaders" will attend the U.N. confab which convenes in NYC on September 25.

Topping the "party" list is Venezuela's fiery president Hugo Chavez. The Latino "clown" is most recently remembered for his speech at the 2006 General Assembly.In it, Chavez mockingly referred to President George W Bush (who spoke at the U.N. a day earlier) as "the Devil." He then waved his arms as if he was spraying sulfur to "break up the smell" Bush was said to have left on the podium.

While Chavez thought his "comedy" routine was well received by the delegates, only weeks later, he discovered his antics weren't widely appreciated. Venezuela was defeated in its bid for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council. Once considered a "shoe-in," Venezuela lost out to Panama for a 2-year term on the U.N. body.

Chavez again follows President Bush by a day on the U.N. podium.

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Whether he picks up where he left off last year is a topic being debated in the U.N.'s diplomatic community.

Another member of Newsmax's "axis of weasels" will also hit the Big Apple this year.

Iran's controversial president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has announced he too will address the the General Assembly.

Ahmadinejad comes to the United Nations while his country is under Security Council sanctions for refusing demands to halt his nuclear "power-research" program.

Iran says its program is for "peaceful" purposes. The U.S. says it is really intended to build an atomic bomb. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), says it is not quite sure what's going on in Tehran.

Yet another U.N. "favorite" is expected to "grace" its halls this September.

Former, and now current Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega will return to NYC after a hiatus lasting more than 20 years.

The now "mellowed" Sandinista rebel leader, took joy by jabbing then President Ronald Reagan in a 1986 GA speech. Referring to the U.S. invasion of Grenada and attacks on Libya, Ortega shouted to the U.N. delegates:

"President Reagan should remember that Rambo exists only in the movies!"

That brought howls, laughter and a standing ovation from the crowd. It also forced a well publicized walk-out by the entire US delegation which was seated in the front row of the cavernous hall.

As he left the U.N., U.S. ambassador Gen. Vernon Walters told reporters:

"They may have to listen to this garbage in Managua (Nicaragua's capital), but I don't have to listen to it in New York!"

During the same "visit," Ortega made a "famous" jog in Central Park sporting designer glasses reportedly costing more than $700. All this coming while his country was involved in a vicious civil war.

Some new attendees expected at the U.N. this September include the U.K.'s prime minster Gordon Brown, Japan's Shinzo Abe, and France's president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Old "favorites" such as Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf, Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai and South Africa's Thabo Mbeki are also on the 2007 "party list."

Other notables expressing their intent to travel to NYC include embattled Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe and Bolivian leader (and Chavez "buddy") Evo Morales.

The 2007 gathering will also mark the official "coming out" of new U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, who succeeded Kofi Annan last January.

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