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“NOMINATION OF JOHN NEGROPONTE TO BE THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S8562-S8563 on Aug. 1, 2001.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
NOMINATION OF JOHN NEGROPONTE TO BE THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR TO THE
UNITED NATIONS
Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, I will speak for a few minutes about a problem that is hamstringing American foreign policy today, and that is the stalled nomination of John Negroponte to be the American Ambassador to the United Nations.
Even the critics of American foreign policy would agree that America, and the world, are best served by having an outstanding, experienced, professional diplomat at our U.N. mission in New York. Indeed, such a personal representative of the President would provide enlightened perspective to our friends and allies on occasions when we cannot support particular U.N. initiatives. He would also symbolize America's robust commitment to international engagement, and work with like-
minded nations whenever possible to advance our mutual interests and values, in the spirit of cooperation the United Nations was created to foster.
Regrettably, the Senate has stalled ambassador Negroponte's nomination process. The President announced his intention to nominate this 37-year veteran of the Foreign Service in March and sent his nomination to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in May. But his nomination has been held up due to concerns about human rights abuses in Honduras during his tenure as Ambassador there.
It is worth pointing out that Ambassador Negroponte has been confirmed by the Senate five times--as recently as 1993, well after his assignment to Honduras, as President Clinton's Ambassador to the Philippines. He did not then undergo anything like the ordeal he has been subjected to this year.
In the midst of the debate over Ambassador Negroponte's qualifications for the U.N. assignment, the United States got booted off the U.N. Human Rights Commission for the first time in its history--a defeat that raises credible doubts about the integrity of that institution and its commitment to the very values it exists to promote. Sudan, Libya, Syria, Cuba, and China are now members of this body, forged by the vision of Eleanor Roosevelt in the early post-World War II era--and we are not.
Victims of persecution around the world, and advocates for their cause in our country, shall long rue the day the Commission was tarnished by this unfortunate vote. Many professionals agree that had we had an ambassador in place early in this administration, we would now be a member in good standing of the Human Rights Commission. We also recently lost our seat on the International Narcotics Control Board, another avoidable consequence of our vacant U.N. ambassadorship.
Ambassador Negroponte has the strong support of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, his predecessor at the United Nations. Upon hearing the first reports of the President's intent to nominate Ambassador Negroponte, Ambassador Holbrooke said: The United States is lucky, the U.N. is lucky. . . . He is a real professional. . . . I would be thrilled.
Secretary of State Colin Powell recently called John Negroponte: one of the most distinguished foreign service officers and American public servants I have ever known.
The U.N. General Assembly convenes in mind-September for its annual session. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee should immediately schedule a confirmation hearing for Ambassador Negroponte, to take place in early September when the Senate reconvenes, in order to have him confirmed and in place to represent our Nation in New York this fall.
Ambassador Negroponte has served Democratic and Republican Presidents with distinction over the course of his diplomatic career. In the spirit of bipartisanship and the proud tradition of American internationalism at the United Nations, I urge my colleagues to move quickly to allow this good man to serve our country once again.
Madam President, I have had the opportunity of knowing Ambassador Negroponte when he was Ambassador to Mexico, Ambassador to Honduras, and Ambassador to the Philippines. The nomination is now stuck. Unfortunately, we need to act as quickly as possible.
Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to have a letter from Mr. George Shultz, former Secretary of State, printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
July 17, 2001.
Hoover Institution--
on War, Revolution and Peace,
Hon. Joseph R. Biden,Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman, I am writing to support the nomination of John Negroponte to be our Ambassador to the United Nations. I know him well; I have worked with him closely. I believe he will do an outstanding job at the UN.
While I was Secretary of State, John Negroponte served in three different positions: (1) Ambassador to Honduras; (2) Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Scientific and Environmental Affairs; and (3) Deputy National Security Advisor in the last fourteen months of the Reagan administration.
In Honduras, John did an outstanding job under especially difficult circumstances. There was turmoil and instability throughout Central America, and assisting Honduras to stay on an even keel was an enormous challenge. Despite the difficulties, Honduras managed to maintain relative calm and peace compared to neighboring El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua and made the transition from military to civilian rule during his time there. Honduras has had five free elections for a civilian president since 1981, and there will be another such election later this year. Much of the groundwork for the return to democracy and rule of law in Honduras was laid during John's tenure.
John's work as Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, his next assignment, is an excellent example of the richness and diversity of his background and experience. As Assistant Secretary for OES, John oversaw the negotiation of the Montreal Protocol for the Protection of the Stratospheric Ozone Layer on behalf of the United States. This was a milestone multilateral environmental agreement at the time and I well remember the conviction and skill with which John worked to gain support within the U.S. government and to conclude such an agreement with other countries. The Senate vote to consent to ratification was 83 to 0. John's portfolio in OES included addressing the issue of acid rain and its impact on Canada, and dealing with fisheries in the South Pacific. He personally negotiated and renewed a space cooperation agreement with the Soviet Union, satisfying the technology transfer concerns of a wary and skeptical DOD along the way. And at my request, John worked with former Citibank CEO Walter Wriston to organize a symposium at the National Academy of Sciences about the impact of information technology on foreign policy.
As Deputy National Security Advisor, John dealt with the entire range of national security issues confronting the President and the National Security Council. Among the important issues with which he had to deal on a daily basis at that time were the Iran-Iraq war, the end of Soviet military involvement in Afghanistan, and two summits between President Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev.
Although it was after my tenure as Secretary of State, I also had the opportunity to visit John both in Mexico City and Manila where he subsequently served as Ambassador. I can attest to the outstanding job he did at each of those posts. John was instrumental in both the conception and negotiation of the NAFTA, which has brought dramatic, positive changes to the U.S./Mexico economic and political relationship.
John has had a broad and deep variety of foreign policy experience at eight foreign postings and assignments in Washington at both the State Department and the White House. This experience is excellent preparation for the challenges of a UN assignment.
Sincerely yours,
George P. Shultz.
Mr. McCAIN. Finally, Madam President, we really need to have the United States represented at the United Nations. This has been a long process for Mr. Negroponte. I know my good friend and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Joe Biden, shares my concern about the United Nations. He is a committed believer in the United Nations and the importance of its functions. I hope we will move forward as quickly as possible with Mr. Negroponte's nomination to represent the United States at the United Nations.
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