New York, Nov 20: America's top foreign policy experts and former senior administration officials, including Democrats and Republicans, have asked the incoming President Barack Obama to strengthen the relationship with the United Nations (UN) to resolve the multifarious problems facing the world.
In a statement, published as full page ad in the New York Times, has identified the areas in which Washington could work closely with the world body to contain spread of nuclear weapons and technology, counter-terrorism and climate change and called for new administration's "constructive involvement in reforming the United Nations”.
"The next president has the unique opportunity to revitalise the US-UN relationship as a symbol of American's commitment to constructive international cooperation," it stressed.
The statement effectively asked the new administration to reverse the policy of Bush administration which had at one stage said that the world body is "irrelevant" and had expressed its anger when the Security Council failed to give clear mandate to Washington to attack Iraq.
"The UN cannot succeed without strong US leadership and support. This investment will pay off substantially by helping enhance our standing internationally and strengthen our ability to keep America safe and strong," the statement said.
The statement came just as Obama had his first direct telephonic discussion yesterday with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on global issues and steps needed to strengthen the partnership between the US and UN. Earlier, Ban had sent a congratulatory letter to Obama on his election and also met with former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former representative Jim Leach in Washington on Friday to discuss enhancing co-operation between US and UN.
The statement, which could set the tone for the future relationship, was singed, among others, by former Secretaries of State Albright and Warren Christopher, former Defence
Secretaries Harold Brown and William Perry and Brent Scowcroft who was national security adviser under Republican Presidents Gerald Ford and George W Bush.
A spokesperson of Obama transition team said the President-elect, during his telephonic discussions, had underscored his view that the world body needs far reaching reforms and the United Nations should rededicate to its mission to effectively resolve the global issues.
The first contact between Obama and Ban came when the President-elect called him to thank for his congratulatory message.
During the election, Obama had expressed support for United Nations when he asserted that no country has a greater scope in the UN than the United States. But he also criticised the world body for moving too slowly on several fronts including ending genocide in Darfur.
Bureau Report