Trump administration opposes all options for new UN chief — and wants new candidates

Por Daniella Cheslow — POLITICO – TOP Stories

The Trump administration opposes all of the current crop of contenders to lead the United Nations — saying that none of them are sufficiently on board with President Donald Trump’s worldview and desire for drastic changes to the body, according to two people familiar with internal conversations.

“The entire slate is lacking the reformers the U.S. would want. And some seem like even more business-as-usual types,” said one of the people, an administration official.

The U.N. is in the process of choosing a successor to Secretary-General António Guterres, whose second and final five-year term ends this year. The 81-year-old body is facing a challenge to its mission from the Trump administration, which has slashed the United States’ contributions, withdrawn from multiple U.N. organizations — including the World Health Organization — and created its own body — the Board of Peace — to take over planning for the future of the demolished Gaza Strip.

The U.S. — like other permanent members of the Security Council — has the ability to veto any candidate for the post. The current field of seven candidates includes mostly career diplomats, with former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan consistently polling ahead.

“A career insider is not necessarily the right person to helm it,” said another one of the people, an official at the State Department. “We are looking for a little bit of a disruptor.”

The individuals, and others, were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

It’s unusual for the U.S. to push so forcefully in the choice of secretary-general, and the fierce opposition by the Trump administration to a raft of candidates highlights the extent to which the White House wants to shape the organization.

“It says the Trump administration has realized it actually matters who the U.N. secretary-general is, so they want someone they see as more aligned with their worldview and interests,” said Geoffrey Pyatt, former assistant secretary of State for energy resources and a retired career diplomat.

Asked for comment, the State Department did not address its stance on specific candidates but said it wants a new U.N. leader to return the organization “to its primary purpose of maintaining peace and security in the world, rather than the absurd, politicized, woke ideology that has undermined the institution’s effectiveness and legitimacy.”

“The United States will only support a nominee who shows an unwavering commitment to drive meaningful reform,” the department said.

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric declined to comment on the U.S. position but said he expects the selection process to finish as scheduled by the end of the year.

“We have full confidence that member states will decide in time on a new secretary-general by 31 December,” Dujarric said.

Earlier this year, Trump floated FIFA President Gianni Infantino as a potential candidate, but never formally nominated him and Infantino is running for re-election as FIFA president.. The State Department official said Infantino could be a good option and didn’t rule out Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, who is currently the head of the Trump-created Board of Peace, and whose name has also been raised as a possible contender. FIFA and a spokesperson for Mladenov didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

John Bolton, who served as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. under President George W. Bush and is a former Trump official-turned-critic, argued the administration may not mind the top slot going unfilled for a while.

“If you were cynical, heaven forbid, you’d say, well, that suits the U.S. fine,” he said. “Don’t fill the job. Because without a real secretary-general, the U.N. the bureaucracy, the secretariat, doesn’t have a leader that anybody is going to respect at the head of state level, and that would further cause deterioration in the U.N.’s position.”

Guterres is set to step down at the end of the year. If no one is picked by then, his term could be extended. The U.N.’s Dujarric said Guterres plans to become a private citizen again come January.

Bolton, who served as ambassador during a previous leadership race in 2006, said the U.S. does discuss potential candidates with fellow members of the Security Council, but has previously worked out arrangements quietly with other powers like China or Russia. An opposition to all of the candidates was “surprising.”

“In 2006, basically the U.S. and China decided on Ban Ki-moon, and that was the guy we agreed on,” he said, referring to the South Korean diplomat who headed the U.N. from 2007 to 2016. “I negotiated this with my Chinese counterpart.”

The choice of the next secretary-general largely falls to the 15-member Security Council, which makes its recommendation to the broader General Assembly.

The office of U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz declined to comment.

Grynspan of Costa Rica has gained the most votes of any candidate in nearly all of five straw polls conducted by the Security Council, including the most recent one on Wednesday. She previously served as vice president in San Jose and as the head of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development.

A Republican congressional aide said GOP lawmakers in Washington oppose Grynspan as well. In particular, the aide said Grynspan was too critical of Israel and soft on China.

“If we get someone like Grynspan, good luck getting any Republican to support funding the U.N. regular budget,” said the aide.

Grynspan didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The State Department official said another candidate, Rafael Grossi, “has done a great job” as International Atomic Energy Association chief, but “a few countries have expressed some concerns.” Those include Russia, a permanent member.

The congressional aide said the GOP caucus wants a “boring” dark horse candidate “who doesn’t politicize everything” and added that the incoming U.N. secretary-general “has a lot to fix after the wake of Guterres.” Another candidate who has been reported as a potential last-minute additionis Lana Nusseibeh, a former United Arab Emirates ambassador to the U.N., and current assistant minister of foreign affairs. Turkey’s former foreign minister Feridun Sinirlioglu is reportedly considering competing.

The U.N. has eliminated thousands of jobs and is working to merge agencies after the Trump cuts resulted in a $4 billion shortfall. It has launched a reform effort and has pared down travel spending, but the congressional aide said there was more to do, adding that “the U.N. benefits package is out of control.”

According to an informal tradition, the job of secretary-general rotates by region and it is Latin America’s turn. Additionally, calls have been mounting for a female leader. The body has never had a woman in the top role.

The State Department indicated those are not priorities.

“The United States will support the most qualified candidate, regardless of gender or geographic origin,” the State Department said.

The State Department official said the department had shared its thoughts on the race with other members of the Security Council, both permanent and rotating.

None of those members answered requests for comment. Those include permanent members Russia, China, the U.K. and France, as well as rotating members Bahrain, Colombia, Congo, Denmark, Greece, Latvia, Liberia, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia.

The next poll of the Security Council is expected on Oct. 16, and by then the five permanent members may use colored ballots to show if they encourage or discourage a person’s candidacy.

“It generally signals to candidates that their prospects are dim and most will bail out if they receive one or more ‘discourage’ votes from permanent members,” said Brett Schaefer, a fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, who is in frequent contact with U.S. and U.N. officials. If all the candidates get a permanent member veto, he added, “I would expect other candidates to come forward.”

Fonte: POLITICO – TOP Stories