Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann
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Rev. Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office September 16, 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Srgjan Asan Kerim |
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| Born | February 5, 1933 Los Angeles, United States |
Rev. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, M.M., born in Los Angeles[1] on February 5, 1933, is a Nicaraguan diplomat, politician and Catholic priest.[2] He is the current President of the United Nations General Assembly; taking up his one year term in September 2008 and presiding over the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.[3][4]
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[edit] Political career
D'Escoto was ordained a Roman Catholic priest for the Maryknoll congregation, before engaging in politics. He was a key figure in the founding of the Maryknoll imprint, Orbis Books, in 1970, and was an official with the World Council of Churches. As an adherent of liberation theology, he secretly joined the Sandinistas.
He first publicly expressed support for the FSLN as one of Los Doce, in October 1977, and was appointed foreign minister after the Sandinista triumph in 1979. He served as foreign minister in Daniel Ortega's FSLN government from 1979 to 1990.[5] Pope John Paul II admonished him and other priests in the government for getting involved in politics. Early in the Contra war, the Reagan administration perceived him as a relative moderate who might break with the regime. While foreign minister, he received the Lenin Peace Prize for 1985-6, and the Thomas Merton Award for 1987.[6]
After the Sandinistas lost the 1990 elections, he led the Communal Movement, but resigned that post in December 1991 after his support within the organization waned.[7] He has staunchly supported Ortega against the Sandinista Renovation Movement dissidents.[8]
Latin American and Caribbean nations selected Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann as their candidate to become the next president of the U.N. General Assembly. On June 4, 2008, he was elected by acclamation to preside over 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, from September 2008 to September 2009.[9]
[edit] Views and priorities as President of the General Assembly
Shortly after his election, d’Escoto Brockmann stated during a press conference:
- "They elected a priest. And I hope no one is offended if I say that love is what is most needed in this world. And that selfishness is what has gotten us into the terrible quagmire in which the world is sinking, almost irreversibly, unless something big happens. This may sound like a sermon. Well, OK."[10]
D'Escoto also stated that addressing rising energy and food prices around the world would be priorities.[11] Other priorities would include hunger, poverty, climate change, terrorism, human rights, disarmament, nuclear control, cultural diversity, the rights of women and children, and the protection of biodiversity.[12]
D'Escoto designated[13] 15 senior advisers : Brother David Andrews CSC (USA), Ms. Maude Barlow (Canada), Mr. Mohammed Bedjaoui (Algeria), Mr. Leonardo Boff (Brazil), Mr. Kevin Cahill (USA), Mr. François Houtart (Belgium), Mr. Noam Chomsky (USA), Mr. Ramsey Clark (USA), Mr. Richard Falk (USA), Mr. Michael Kennedy (USA), Ms. Eleonora Kennedy (USA), Mr. Olivier De Schutter (Belgium), Mr. Joseph Stiglitz (USA), Sir John E. Sulston (UK), Mr. Howard Zinn (USA).
[edit] Reform of the United Nations
D'Escoto has criticised the veto power wielded by the five permanent members of the Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States): "I hope my presidency will address what has become a universal clamor all over the world for the democratization of the United Nations. I promise to give full support to the working group on the revitalization of the General Assembly."[14]
Outside a closed-door meeting of the Security Council on the seventh day of the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict which failed to produce an official statement or a resolution, he said: "Once again, the world is watching in dismay the disfunctionality of the Security Council."[15]
[edit] Relations with the United States
Described by Reuters as "a fierce critic of [U.S. policy in Latin America]", he referred to Ronald Reagan in 2004 as "the butcher of my people"[16], and added: "Because of Reagan and his spiritual heir George W. Bush, the world today is far less safe and secure than it has ever been."[17]
Following his election to the presidency of the United Nations General Assembly, he offered a statement interpreted as renewed criticism aimed at the United States: "The behavior of some member states has caused the United Nations to lose credibility as an organization capable of putting an end to war and eradicating extreme poverty from our planet."[18] He denounced what he called “acts of aggression, such as those occurring in Iraq and Afghanistan.”[19] At the same time, he expressed his "love" for "the United States as a country", and added: "I do not want to turn this [General Assembly] presidency into a place to take it out on the United States."[20] Reacting to those comments, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad responded: "We have been assured that a page has been turned and that he understands his new responsibilities... We will wait and see."[21] Richard Grenell, spokesman for the U.S. permanent mission to the United Nations, added: "The president of the General Assembly is supposed to be a uniter. We have made it clear that these crazy comments are not acceptable, and we hope he refrains from this talk and gets to work on General Assembly business."[22]
Mark Kornblau, spokesman for the United States Mission to the United Nations, said "It's hard to make sense of Mr. D'Escoto's increasingly bizarre statements." [23]
[edit] Relations with Israel
D'Escoto has been critical of the United States and Israel's treatment of Palestinians.[24]
- Ahmadinejad embrace
On September 17, 2008, Israel's Ambassador to the U.N Gabriela Shalev said D'Escoto was an "Israel-Hater" [25] because D'Escoto "hugged" Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after Ahmedinedjad's September 2008 speech to the UN General Assembly. The Ambassador expressed anger over the UN reception of Ahmedinedjad, saying to an Israeli newspaper: "I heard that the Iranian president's address was followed by loud applause, and that d'Escoto warmly embraced him."[26] D'Escoto's spokeman responded with regards to the Israeli Ambassador's criticism of Ahmedinejad's speech saying: "He cannot respond to each and every speech made by the leaders of these states."[26]
- Ramadan dinner
The Israeli Ambassador also criticized D'Escoto for attending a dinner marking the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan with a number of Middle Eastern Arab leader, which was also attended by Ahmadinejad.[26] Abraham H. Foxman, the director of the Anti-Defamation League, called the event "a perversion of the search for peace and an appalling betrayal of religious values."[26]
D'Escoto's spokesman responded with regards to the dinner attendance saying: "[D'Escoto] will join the dinner because he believes in dialogue, an issue which he had highlighted, and thinks that he should deal with all member states."[26]
- Comparison with South African apartheid
D'Escoto, reported the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, "likened Israel's policies toward the Palestinians to South Africa's treatment of blacks under apartheid."[27][28][29] "We must not be afraid to call something what it is" he continued. [27] Brockmann stressed that it was important for the United Nations to use the term since it was the institution itself that had passed the International Convention against the crime of apartheid."[27]
On November 24, 2008 D'Escoto called for the world to support the international campaign of “boycott, sanctions and divestment” which aims to pressure Israel to change its current treatment of the Palestinians.[30] He say this after claiming the fact that Palestinians still have no state 60 years after the creation of Israel represents "the single greatest failure in the history of the United Nations."[30]
- Crucifixion mention
In November 2008, the Simon Wiesenthal Center criticized D'Escoto for saying that Israel is "crucifying" Palestinians which the Center said was an anti-Semitic analogy to the crucifixion of the Christian Jesus Christ figure.[31]
- Criticism of Israel 2009 ground assault into Gaza
In response to the 2008-2009 Israeli invasion of Gaza, according to CNN[32], D'Escoto "criticized both Israel's ground assault into Gaza and the U.N. Security Council's response to it. 'I think it's a monstrosity; there's no other way to name it [...] Once again, the world is watching in dismay the dysfunctional of the Security Council.'"
CNN reported that Brockmann "blamed the week long violence in Gaza on the 'unfulfilled resolutions of the Security Council,' referring to the 1967 resolution that called for lasting peace in the Middle East after the Arab-Israeli War. [...] I'm not coming hard on any member state. I'm coming down strongly in defense of the rights of a people that are being subjected to extreme measures by another member."[32]
D'Escoto continued "To say the violence now erupted because of some rockets fired by Hamas is to ignore the fact that there's been violence for decades and the very occupation itself of the territory is a violent thing."[32]
As the Palestinian death toll as a result of the attacks rose above 1000, D'Escoto stated, "the number of victims in Gaza is increasing by the day... The situation is untenable. It's genocide."[33]
[edit] External links
- Official Website
- Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations opening the General Debate of the 63rd Session, September 23, 2008
- Address to the General Assembly of the United Nations closing the General Debate of the 63rd Session, September 29, 2008
[edit] References
- ^ "FACTBOX-Facts on new UN assembly head D'Escoto", Reuters, June 4, 2008
- ^ "Nicaraguan U.S. critic made U.N. assembly president", Reuters, June 4, 2008
- ^ "General Assembly Elects, by Acclamation, President for Sixty-Third Session", United Nations General Assembly official website
- ^ "Nicaraguan elected to head next session of General Assembly", United Nations General Assembly official website
- ^ "Nicaraguan U.S. critic made U.N. assembly president", Reuters, June 4, 2008
- ^ "The Thomas Merton Award 2006 will honor Angela Y. Davis!", Thomas Merton Center
- ^ The Popular Organizations in Nicaragua Yesterday and Today
- ^ Revista Envío - “We’re Independent Leftists”
- ^ "UN Elects Ex-Sandinista as Assembly President", Voice of America, June 4, 2008
- ^ "Priest elected UN General Assembly president", Associated Press, June 5, 2008
- ^ "UN Elects Ex-Sandinista as Assembly President", Voice of America, June 4, 2008
- ^ "Roundup: former Nicaraguan FM elected head of UN General Assembly", Xinhua, June 5, 2008
- ^ http://www.innercitypress.com/pga1advisers.pdf
- ^ "UN Elects Ex-Sandinista as Assembly President", Voice of America, June 4, 2008
- ^ "Media Stakeout: Informal comments to the media". 3 January 2009. http://www.undemocracy.com/securitycouncil/webcastindex/2009#d2009-01-03.
- ^ "FACTBOX-Facts on new UN assembly head D'Escoto", Reuters, June 4, 2008
- ^ "Nicaraguan U.S. critic made U.N. assembly president", Reuters, June 4, 2008
- ^ "Nicaraguan U.S. critic made U.N. assembly president", Reuters, June 4, 2008
- ^ "Former Nicaraguan Official Wins U.N. Assembly Presidency", New York Times, June 5, 2008
- ^ "Nicaraguan U.S. critic made U.N. assembly president", Reuters, June 4, 2008
- ^ "Nicaraguan U.S. critic made U.N. assembly president", Reuters, June 4, 2008
- ^ "Priest elected UN General Assembly president", Associated Press, June 5, 2008
- ^ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,509596,00.html U.N. Official Accuses U.S. of Demonizing Ahmadinejad
- ^ Death Threats Made Against U.N. General Assembly President, December 15, 2008.
- ^ http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1024552.html Israel ambassador to UN: General Assembly chief is an Israel hater
- ^ a b c d e [1]
- ^ a b c Top UN official: Israel's policies are like apartheid of bygone era
- ^ Top UN official: Israel's policies are like apartheid
- ^ "UN official calls Israel 'Apartheid' - President of UN General Assembly urges Israel to be recognized as an Apartheid state (Video)". The Real News. 2008-12-13. http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=2921&updaterx=2008-12-14+01%3A59%3A14. Retrieved on 2008-12-14.
- ^ a b http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3628618,00.html
- ^ "Group seeks U.N. official's ouster." JTA. 26 November 2009. 18 March 2009.
- ^ a b c U.N. Security Council fails to reach Gaza consensus, CNN. January 4, 2009
- ^ Israel accused of Gaza 'genocide'
| Diplomatic posts | ||
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| Preceded by Srgjan Asan Kerim |
President of the United Nations General Assembly 2008–2009 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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