RI backs Boutros-Ghali's bid for second term
RI backs Boutros-Ghali's bid for second term
JAKARTA (JP): International relations expert Juwono Sudarsono
said yesterday Washington is displaying its intention to dominate
the U.N. by rejecting secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali's
bid for a second term.
Juwono's comments come on the heels of a similar expression of
support from Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas,
who said that Jakarta would support Boutros Ghali's candidacy.
"It seems that the mood now in the Security Council,
particularly in America, is that the secretary-general should
come from a developed country rather than from an African, Asian
or Latin American one," Juwono told The Jakarta Post.
"They want to use the United Nations as their main vehicle for
legitimizing their dominance," said Juwono, who is the professor
of international relations at the University of Indonesia.
Washington has warned that it would use its exclusive veto
power if Boutros Ghali is elected to serve a second five-year
term.
Egyptian Boutros-Ghali took over the post as secretary-general
in 1992. His tenure ends this year.
The United States has expressed dissatisfaction at Boutros
Ghali's performance, pointing to his sluggish pace of
streamlining the UN, along with failed policies in Bosnia and
Somalia as evidence of his incompetence.
Even though Boutros Ghali has the support of most UN members,
Washington can overrule this majority decision with its veto.
Alatas said that Indonesia, from the beginning, has supported
Boutros Ghali's candidacy and would continue to do so.
"We supported Boutros Ghali when he first became a candidate.
If he wishes to continue, we would not have the least problem in
continuing to support him," Alatas told journalists at his
office.
Alatas maintained that there were various factors contributing
to the UN's past failures, and they cannot all be blamed on the
secretary-general.
Separately, Juwono said yesterday that in the past, the
position was perceived as a mere seat to accommodate the
political symbolism of a Third World secretary-general catering
to the interests of the South.
However, that has all changed, he said. With the demise of the
Communist threat, the United States is more interested in its own
objectives and less with the concerns and plight of the
developing states.
"There is a sense of Darwinism now in America. They don't
care," Juwono said, explaining that Washington would like to see
a candidate who could fulfill their own aspirations.
In the prevailing political climate in America, someone like
Boutros Ghali is not seen in a favorable light, he added. (mds)