September 17, 2005
FINE TO DO NOTHING, BUT KEEP QUIET ABOUT IT, EH?:
Martin tells it like it is at U.N. (TIM HARPER, 9/17/05, Toronto Star)
Prime Minister Paul Martin took to the world podium yesterday, telling a gathering of global leaders that the United Nations is at a crossroads, bogged down in a tired status quo and empty rhetoric. [...]Martin was particularly blunt on the need for management changes, and the need for a human rights body that really recognizes human rights, not one that has become politicized and ineffective.
But he saved his harshest indictment for the Security Council — which he said spends too much time talking and too little time acting.
"Too often, we have debated the finer points of language while innocent people continue to die," Martin said.
"Darfur is only the latest example."
How many peacekeepers did Canada send to Darfur and which Canadian helped negotiate the end of the civil war in Sudan's south? Posted by Orrin Judd at September 17, 2005 9:49 AM
For all the UN failures that Paul Martin listed, he didn't mention that the UN was a very expensive talk show to keep in business.
Posted by: John J. Coupal at September 17, 2005 10:44 AMHis gripe with the UN is not that it's incompetent, but that it's so incompetent that no one minds when the US just goes around it and fixes problems like Darfur. If the UN is a sideshow, it can't serve as a counterweight to US power. It's the success of the independent effort in Darfur that bugs him.
Posted by: pj at September 17, 2005 12:39 PM"Martin tells it like it is at U.N." - then proceeds to continue screwing Canadians out of their money and free health care.
"Barium shortage prolonging cancer test wait times"
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1126965468398_48/?hub=TopStories
Posted by: obc at September 17, 2005 4:39 PM"If the United Nations didn't exist, we would have to create the United Nations," Martin said.
Hey, I've got the time.
Posted by: Peter B at September 17, 2005 7:40 PM