United Nations General Assembly

I have just received an impressive package from the UN, with information about the 58th session of the General Assembly, which goes from September 2003 to September 2004. Included is a large photograph of a smiling H.E. Mr. Julian Robert Hunte, president of the 58th session. He is Minister for External Affairs International Trade and Civil Aviation of Santa Lucia. It is a little confusing. The permanent representative of Saint Lucia to the UN is Earl Huntley. Usually the foreign ministers come to the opening of the General Assembly in September and then go home, leaving the permanent representatives to take their place. I suppose then that Mr.Hunte will appear in September and then his place will be taken by Mr. Huntley.

Saint Lucia is an island in the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles north of Grenada and just south of French-owned Martinique. The British and the French fought over it until 1814. The name of the capital, Castries, recalls its French period. The population of 160,000 is mostly black and Catholic and speaks French or patois, a legacy of its French period, but the official language, now dominant, is English. It has 280 miles of paved road Its principal product is bananas, but it is not a banana republic, since Queen Elizabeth is head of state. I think my plane stopped there once, but I do not recall visiting it, which I regret, since I am sure it is a charming place.

The package from the UN includes a list of the presidents of the General Assembly since 1946, For a long time they have come from the less developed countries, which is natural since the UN has expanded to include them, and they now predominate numerically. Most of them have little power and few responsibilities. What impact does this have on the United Nations? While in general the Secretariat and the specialized agencies work well, some of the commissions, notably the one on human rights, are properly the object of ridicule. What about the presidencies of the Security Council and the General Assembly? In the case of a crisis they can play a decisive role. Normally we do not know enough about them to judge their competency. This is one of several factors which explain the ambivalent attitude of the US toward the organization. However, the US has no interest in alienating it.

Sergio Vieira de Mello was an outstanding international public servant. One day we saw him presenting a report on Iraq to the Security Council. It was a shock a few days later to learn that he and several other members of the UN mission to Iraq had been assassinated by terrorists. Usually terrorists claim to have some grievance, but in this case there was none. It was a cowardly, brutal murder. His death has enhanced the reputation of the UN, but that is cold comfort. I wonder what the terrorists are thinking or feeling. I just saw a documentary about the murder of Lord Mountbatten by the IRA. The killers were cowardly, stupid, nasty brutes. We must find out who precisely killed Sergio Vieira de Mello. The US and the UN find it hard to cooperate, but now it is essential that they work together in the struggle against terrorists.