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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Amy Auth
202-225-2071

WASHINGTON – United States Rep. Virginia Foxx (N.C.-5) made the following remarks on the floor of U.S. House of Representatives regarding the nomination of John Bolton to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations:

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of John Bolton's nomination as our ambassador to the United Nations.

“Although I am not able to vote on his nomination, since I am not a Member of the United States Senate, I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to support his nomination. I am pleased that the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has agreed to put his nomination before the full Senate for an up-or-down vote.

“Mr. Speaker, the United Nations is in serious need of reform. From enforcing the resolutions the United Nations and its member countries have adopted over the years, to its misuse of funds for many programs across the world, the U.N. is in serious need of reform. The United Nations is rife with fraud, mismanagement, and abuse in many areas of its operations. From the U.N. Oil-for-Food program, to its lack of action with respect to the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, to the horrendous human rights abuses during the U.N. mission in the Congo, the U.N. is in serious need of reform.

“I think we can all agree that the most urgent threat to international peace and security today is terrorism, yet the U.N. cannot even agree upon a definition for terrorism. Perhaps this is because its membership consists of several terror-sponsoring states. The U.N. counts the world's leading human rights violators and repressive governments among its membership, and even taps many of them to be in leadership positions on its subcommittees. I find this completely outrageous and dangerously ironic.

“Last time I checked, the U.N. charter states that it is supposed to ‘maintain international peace and security; to promote equal rights and self-determination of peoples without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion; to help solve problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character; to encourage social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.’

“The U.N. needs reform and Mr. Bolton is the right man to voice our encouragement for these reforms. Mr. Bolton has a proven track record in working with the United Nations in the past. In conjunction with efforts by Secretary James Baker to resolve conflict in the Western Sahara, he actually worked for the U.N. pro bono between 1997 and 2000. While serving as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations from 1989 to 1993, he worked on other key diplomatic initiatives and U.N. reforms, including the repayment of arrearages in U.N. assessments that had been created during the 1980s. He has worked tirelessly in various capacities to help combat the spread of dangerous weapons of mass destruction through his lengthy and distinguished career.

BOLTON SUPPORT

“Mr. Bolton has served this Nation well. There is no doubt in my mind that he will serve our great Nation with distinction and will be a strong voice for reform at a time when the United Nations desperately needs it. I applaud his nomination and encourage his approval by the U.S. Senate to serve our great Nation. Let Mr. Bolton be our voice to the U.N. that these reforms must be made.”

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