TO: Those receiving MID-EAST REALITIES

FROM: Mark Bruzonsky

DATE: 3 December 1996

RE: SUPPORT BOUTROS-GHALI

This is an unusual message to you. But the impending final U.S. veto of Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali for a second term, against the unanimous opposition of nearly every other country in the world and all members of the U.N. Security Council, is a most unusual development.

I know Boutros-Ghali personally. In fact I was at his home in Cairo in 1977 the evening Anwar Sadat appointed him Acting Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. And I still remember how startled many in Israel were a few days later when I was the first to mention on Israeli TV that Boutros-Ghali was married to a Jewish woman.

It is not that Boutros-Ghali's actual policies then or now have been so principled or successful. But that's not what this is really all about at this particular historic moment.What is involved is helping preserve the remaining integrity and independence of the United Nations and preventing American political and financial blackmail if at all possible...or at least making it clear how aware we are what is really taking place and how much we oppose these American policies and tactics.

Furthermore, there is a specific Middle East connection to the Clinton Administration's efforts to punish Boutros-Ghali. At the time of the outrageous Qana massacre in southern Lebanon (and subsequent cover-up) earlier this year, U.N. investigators took the unprecedented step of actually accusing Israel of purposefully perpetrating this horrendous attack against civilians in a U.N.safe zone. Tremendous pressure was brought on Boutros-Ghali by Israel and the U.S. not to release the report. Quite literally there were phone calls from senior officials in both the Israeli and American governments with precisely the threat that unless he did what he was told he would not be continued as Secretary-General.

According to some credible reports abusive language and shouting were used in repeated attempts to intimidate Boutros-Ghali into stone-walling the report. In the end, though he took no real actual action against Israel and allowed the matter to fade, Boutros-Ghali nevertheless did allow the public release of the report, albeit n a watered down form. Now it seems it's payback time, the U.S. and Israel pursuing their infamous policies of political and financial intimidation and blackmail.

A graduate student from Africa studying in the U.S. has taken a very unusual initiative. The letter and petition below are from Ibe Ibeike-Jonah. Signing this petition and faxing the President of the U.N. General Assembly are not likely to have any significant impact on the course of events taking place. Even so, this small gesture initiated by Mr. Ibeike-Jonah -- whom I do not know and have only spoken with briefly -- seems to me a worthwhile one under the circumstances.

Please be in touch with Mr. Ibeike-Jonah directly at his email address at Cornell University about this matter - mi14@cornell.edu. We would appreciate your cc copy to The Committee On The Middle East (COME) to COME@MiddleEast.Org.

If you have any further specific thoughts about what more effective steps might be taken immediately regarding this matter please email me personally at MAB@MiddleEast.Org. You can contact me at (202) 362-5266, Ext 276, leaving voicemail if I am not available. And you can usually reach me personally from 3 to 6 pm weekdays at this number.

Thank you for your attention and concern.


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Subject: UN Secretaryship Issue:
An Urgent Call for Action to Override US Veto
Date: Tue, 3 Dec 1996
From: mi14@cornell.edu (Ibe Ibeike-Jonah)
To: MAB@MiddleEast.Org

Last week, the United States vetoed the re-election of the incumbent
UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, for a second term. This
action is unprecedented in a number of ways. Since the inception of the
United Nations, every sitting Secretary-General has traditionally been
re-elected for a second term. Boutros-Ghali, the first African to occupy
the position, has done remarkably well in comparison to his
predecessors.
He enjoys the overwhelming support of the UN member countries
including a super majority in the Security Council. When his nomination
was brought before the Security Council last week, the vote was 14 to 1
in his favor. The action of the United States -- a dead-beat member of
the UN, also epitomises the arrogance of power in this unipolar
hegemonic order. Mr Boutros-Ghali, who has brought integrity and
credibility to the office of the Secretary-General, is being made a
scape-goat of American domestic politics.

This is the time for anyone who firmly believes in democracy to speak
up and to call on the UN General Assembly to override the US veto, for
what is at stake is not Boutros-Ghali, but the principle and operation
of democracy at the level (the highest gathering of humanity) that really
matters. One country should not be allowed to decide for 184 others.
Read and append your name to the letter below or directly contact the
President of the UN General Assembly, Ambassador Razali Ismail
(Ph: 212 986-6310, Fx: 212 490-8576), to urge action on this matter.
And remember, as Margaret Mead admonished: "Never doubt that a small
group of thoughtful, commited people can change the world. Indeed, it is
the only thing that ever has"
Note: if you are among the 200 individuals and organizations who signed
the earlier succesful petition to the OAU Heads of States meeting in
Cameroon (July 1996), please indicate if you would like to be included
in this.

-----------------------------------------------

November 26, 1996

H.E Mr Razali Ismail
President, UN General Assembly
United Nations Plaza
313 East 43rd Street
New York, NY 10017

Dear Ambassador Razali:

At the end of the cold war, people of the world breathed a sigh
of relief that the mindless superpower rivalry which hitherto
paralyzed the United Nations was finally over. They yearned for a
new order where countries, both big and small, acting in concert
and in good faith through the instrumentality of a re-energized
United Nations, unshackled from the arrogance of power that was
conspicuously manifest in the by-gone era, tackle, with
civility, the issues of our time. This is why we view with
utmost disgust, outrage and indescribable dismay the decision of
the United States to thumb its nose on the rest of the world and
the era of renewed optimism of countries working together by its
denial of a second term for Dr Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the United
Nations Secretary General, through use of a questionable veto on
Tuesday November 19, 1996. Indeed, this is the first time a veto
has been used since end of the cold war.

Till date, the United States -- which enjoys unprecedented power
and influence in the United Nations system even as it continues
to default on its appraised dues, leading to a situation now
aptly described as "super-representation without taxation" -- has
not given any credible reason(s) nor made a cogent case for
blocking Boutros-Ghali's re-election. A catalogue of official
and unofficial non-cogent reasons have been presented: that
Boutros-Ghali has stood against reform; that he has not dined
with celebrities in New York; that he has not made a good
impression on some sections of the American press (i.e not
playing the media show) and some in the American congress. These
are half-baked post-facto rationalizations of the scapegoating
of Boutros-Ghali for American domestic, presidential election
politics, namely to innoculate against unfounded charges of
foreign policy bungling.

For the record, Boutros-Ghali had implemented far-reaching
reforms of the UN Secretariat, cutting staff, streamling
procedures and bringing the budget under control for the first
time. In addition, he clearly came with a vision: through his
agenda for peace initiative, he had utilized preventive diplomacy
to try nipping in the bud some incipient conflicts worldwide,
and had also championed development initiatives. He has been
outspoken, independent and even a tough critique of himself,
qualities clearly needed for the United Nations highest office.
He has remarkably done quite well under the circumstance in
comparison to his predecessors.

These are, however, beside the point. At issue is the principle
and operation of democracy in the forum that really matters. How
can we talk of democracy and impress upon the rest of the world
to embrace democracy when at the highest level of gathering of
humanity one vote (that of the United States) weighs more than 14
(the vote of council members in favor of Boutros-Ghali), and if
unchallenged weighs more than 184 (the other countries of the
world). The lack of flexibility by the United States on this
matter bespeaks weakness for a super-power, especially after
respected world leaders like President Nelson Mandela, President
Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Chancellor Helmut
Kohl, among others, had written to President Clinton urging him
to rescind his decision. Aides to Clinton, as reported by The
New York Times (November 20, 1996 p. 1), even denied Boutros-
Ghali the opportunity to personally present his case saying they
do not consider the Secretary-General of the United Nations
important enough to merit a chat with Clinton. UN Secretary-
General not important enough? This is unacceptable arrogance!
Ambassador Madeleine Albright's (the United States' UN Rep)
statement that the US will not pay its debt to the United Nations
if Boutros-Ghali is re-elected amounts to a blackmail.

This is why we, the undersigned people of the world, strongly
implore you not to cave in to blackmail and to request that you
bring the issue of Boutros-Ghali's re-election to a vote in the
General Assembly. Let the Assembly decide this matter, as it
should on principle. Save the world from blackmail, hypocrisy and
arrogance! To do otherwise will be to lend credence to show over
substance, impuissance over integrity, and to strip away any
pretense at promoting, encouraging and fostering the notion of
democracy. The fear that opposing the United States on this
matter will imperil the UN is unfounded. In any case, it is
better for the UN to die on the basis of principle and integrity
than at the alter of cowardice or ignoble acquiescence. How could
the UN look starving Iraqi children in the eye and tell them the
UN-approved sanctions is justified if this body does not take
this principled stand and redeem itself.

The choice is not Boutros-Ghali or the United States, as
Ambassador Albright incorrectly casts it. Rather, the choice
clearly is between dictatorship and democracy, for which the
United States claims to be the paragon.
We trust you will do the right thing.

(001) Ibe Ibeike-Jonah
(002) Krishna Dipankar Rao, New Delhi India
(003) Oguocha Ike, Saskachewan Canada
(004) Roger B. Sidje, Queensland Australia
(005) Rotimi Ogunsuyi
(006) Gcobane Quvile, Boston MA
(007) Dr Momoh Yakubu, Memphis TN
(008) Olapeju Aiyelaagbe, Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City Iowa
(009) o. kasirim nwuke, Boston MA
(010) Titus M. Maswabi, Gaborone Botswana
(011) Dr Njuki W. Mureithi, Tokyo Japan
(012) Mirian Kene Omalu, CPMLP Univ. of Dundee, UK
(013) Ahmed Mohammed
(014) Jabulani Simbini Dhliwayo, UK
(015) Ossie Desmangles, Port au Prince Haiti
(016) Elizabeth Rugege, Maseru Lesotho
(017) Momodu Kassim-Momodu
(018) T. Khoboko, Keele UK
(019) Paul Tshell, Norway
(020) Jon W. Dana, Ithaca NY
(021) A. I. Younis, Atlanta GA
(022) G. Camynta-Baezie, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
(023) Ayotunde M. Giwa, Brooklyn USA
(024) Kathy Sullivan, Manitoba Canada
(025) Myoto Liyolo, Anglia UK
(026) Egwu E. Kalu, Florida
(027) Alex Offor, Finland
(028) Mark K. Aggrey
(029) Dr Alioune Cissoko, Providence RI
(030) Leapetswe Malete, MSU Michigan
(031) Sama A. Mondeh
(032) Dr Hakeem K. Johnson, Denmark
(033) Adesola Amolegbe
(034) ED Mabaya, Mutare Zimbabwe
(035) Frederick Amoako Addison, Ithaca NY
(036) Gboyega Omotoye
(037) Felix Pokane Molumeli, Maseru Lesotho
(038) Wim Klunne
(039) Dr Alan Barnard, Edinburgh Scotland
(040) Isa Sama, Lancaster UK
(041) Shehu Othman, Oxford UK
(042) Morrison Chakane, Northwest Region South Africa
(043) Lidia Felix, London England
(044) James Krobea Asante, Helsinki Finland
(045) Tony Oguntuase, New Brunswick Canada
(046) Ruffus Sha'ato, Kingston ON, Canada
(047) Ude Eko, Valdosta Georgia
(048) Marek Przezdziecki, Penn Yan, NY USA
(049) Dr Timothy A. Ijir, Corvallis OR
(050) William Addai
(051) Nuku Ofori, Temple University School of Law
(052) Mabengo Ve-Wenda Gustave, Columbia Missouri
(053) Prof. Dinesh Mohan, Indian Inst. of Tech., New Delhi India
(054) Daniel E. Dodor, Okinawa Japan
(055) Araz Mekhtiev, Baku Azerbaijan
(056) Dr Ganiyu A. A. Jaiyeola, Syracuse NY
(057) Dr Felix C. Anyaegbunam, Trieste Italy
(058) Malik Mohammed Al-Wardy, Cornell University Ithaca NY
(059) Ayodele Ayetigbo, MD USA
(060) Zechariah Zakes Nkele, Cardiff UK
(061) Mbokeni Manyothwane, Gaborone Botswana
(062) Eddie Muendane, Newfield NY
(063) John Schmidlapp, Rochester NY
(064) Francis Oruogho Akenami, Finland
(065) Stephen Mugo, Ithaca NY
(066) Robert Kafakoma, Oxford England
(067) Yohane Khamfula, York England
(068) Hector Sikazwe, New Castle England
(069) Makhumbira Munthali, Toronto Canada
(070) Samuel Manda, Hamilton New Zealand
(071) Denny Kazembe, Alberta Canada
(072) Janet Karim, Blantyre Malawi
(073) Dixie Banda, Alberta Canada
(074) Oluyemisi Sunmonu, Baltimore MD
(075) Marie Williams, Baltimore Maryland
(076) Mariela Fourli, Athens Greece
(077) Stephen Mubita, Baltimore Maryland
(078) Rakey Cole, Ithaca NY
(079) Jan R. Jasper, Ithaca NY
(080) Tina Chimombo, Smith College MA
(081) Yinka Adeyemi, New York
(082) M. Pululu, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
(083) Nelly Ndonda, Pretoria RSA
(084) Dr Godfrey Mhetu, Jerera Zimbabwe
(085) Dr Colin Stoneman, Hull England
(086) Prof Bedford N. Umez, Texas
(087) Richard C. Crepeau, Orlando Florida
(088) Bestman Efejuku, Rochester NY
(089) Botsile Ratsiepe, Aberdeen Scotland
(090) Matthias Egger, Sao Paulo Brazil
(091) Raphael L. Mwangobola, Gifu University Japan
(092) Prince O. A. Ajose, North Brunswick NJ
(093) Richard Brossa, Gaithersburg Maryland
(094) Mola Olaniyan, Virginia USA
(095) Pinkie Moduane, Mafikeng South Africa
(096) Mark Bruzonsky, Washington DC
(097)
(098)
(099)
(100)
...
...

cc:
- All 51 Vice-Presidents of the UN General Assembly
- All Permanent Representatives of Countries (185) to the UN


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