"Some people may oppose me, but they will go down the drain after a while and end up in hell…. I came with the teaching that the world and religions should become one… Soon, the American president will have to visit me to seek advice."
A Message From Cliff Kincaid, President, America's Survival, Inc.
I have conservative friends who won't read the "Moonie" Washington Times. I tell them that that's nonsense, that Sun Myung Moon doesn't control the news and editorial coverage of the Times. I tell them that several top editors and reporters are NOT members of Moon's Unification Church. The paper runs many good stories and editorials. But recent developments have now convinced me that Moon's ideology/theology is being propagated through the pages of "America's newspaper."
Frankly, there used to be a time when I overlooked the more questionable aspects of the Moon church. Many thought his anti-Communism made him a convenient ally, especially during the Reagan years when the Cold War was underway. Moon was very critical of the Soviet empire. I even participated in a "World Media Association" journalistic fact-finding trip abroad, organized by groups associated with Moon. It enabled me to gather information about the pro-Soviet "peace movement" in Europe. I wrote several stories about this for Human Events. I wrote for the New York City Tribune, a new-defunct paper that was associated with the Washington Times, and the Washington Times and Insight magazine. There are many good reporters associated with these publications. They run excellent stories. I enjoy writing for them.
But since the end of the Cold War, I have seen an ominous turn in Moon's activities, away from a pro-American orientation to a pro-United Nations view of the world. I have seen this show up in the Washington Times. As you know, Moon has even been embracing the notorious Louis Farrakhan.
Moon received a "Universal Peace Award" at the U.N., has called for a U.N.-based religious body, and has declared, "As long as America sticks with its nationalistic pride it will never be able to embrace the world." Moon even conducted one of his notorious "mass weddings" at the United Nations itself on January 27, 2001. The event was covered by Larry Witham, religion correspondent of the Times and identified member of the Unification Church, in a story the next day. This is when Moon called the U.N. a "temple of peace."
| | | This is the official U.N. symbol | |
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| This U.N.-like symbol was used to highlight the "Federation for World Peace" conference sponsored by various Moon front groups. |
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Moon's turn toward the U.N. could reflect a belief that the U.N. could help protect his global business dealings. He has been reported to be doing business in China, North Korea and Vietnam. The Moon connection to North Korea is most striking. Moon met with and was extremely close to North Korean dictator Kim Il-Sung, whose successor and son, Kim Jong-Il, gave Moon a birthday gift.
Veteran reporter Robert Parry noted:
"The Rev. Sun Myung Moon's business empire, which includes the conservative Washington Times, paid millions of dollars to North Korea's communist leaders in the early 1990s when the hard-line government needed foreign currency to finance its weapons programs, according to U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency documents. The payments included a $3 million 'birthday present' to current communist leader Kim Jong Il and offshore payments amounting to 'several tens of million dollars' to the previous communist dictator, Kim Il Sung, the partially declassified documents said. Moon apparently was seeking a business foothold in North Korea. "
This is a very significant story. But Bill Gertz, the paper's excellent national security reporter who covers suspicious U.S. dealings with Communist China and whose access to classified information has been a subject of controversy, has stayed away from it. Why?
 | | Moon claims to be the savior of the world |
The answer may lie in Moon's own words during a speech in New York:
"America is the most powerful country in the world. But its powerful leaders listen to the Washington Times. A statement from the Times can affect them dramatically. The government of other nations also listen to the Washington Times. Who at the Washington Times is having the biggest impact? [Bill Gertz.] Bill Gertz. How old is he? He is young. He only graduated from high school, joined the Washington Times and became famous."
A speech by a Unification Church pastor, posted on the Unification Church Web site, says the following about Gertz:
"The magazine Weekly Standard, published by Rupert Murdoch, edited by Bill Kristol, a very influential conservative publication. They did a full-page story on Bill Gertz, an exciting story for me because the first paragraph called him a fascinating phenomenon because of the stories he broke. It said that he was one of the early guys at the Washington Times, he is a member of Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church, he never graduated from college, and he is 'now known as the most significant national security reporter in America.'
"Furthermore, when Bill wrote the book I saw an early copy. He's bold. He dedicated the book to 'the founders of the Washington Times, Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, without which I would never have written this.'"
The speech goes on to say that Gertz and the pastor had been in Alaska studying with "Father and Mother" - Moon and his wife -- for a week.
Let me tell you how this shift has affected the coverage of international affairs in the Washington Times.
A November 4 op-ed in the Times on how we can win the war on terrorism through an alliance with Islam proclaimed:
"The new, interreligious America presents a more attractive partner for engagement with Islam than a 'Christian' America, being less encumbered with the historical baggage of a religion that Islam has seen as an adversary for more than 1,000 years."
The author was identified as follows:
"Andrew Wilson is professor of biblical studies at Unification Theological Seminary in New York."
Well, you guessed it - the Unification Theological Seminary is a front of Sun Myung Moon. Its Web site discloses that:
"The Unification Theological Seminary is a graduate school founded by Reverend and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon and sponsored by the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. Reverend and Mrs. Moon established the Family Federation in 1994. It succeeds, inherits and expands the work of the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, the Unification Church. Thus the mission and goals of the Seminary also are expanding through fellowship with all churches and through the ministry of marriage blessing and true family formation."
Cheryl Wetzstein's January 24, 2002, Washington Times article, "U.S.-U.N. relations discussed at parley," is another case study of how Moon and/or his agents are pulling the strings at this newspaper. Wetzstein, an identified member of the Unification Church, never mentioned the Moon connection to this event. We were told in the story, however, that one of the speakers was Mokhtar Lamani of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Readers weren't told that it includes Iraq, Libya and Iran and is committed to the "liberation" of Palestine.
 | | Senator Lugar spoke at a pro-U.N. event organized by Moon |
The reason for this and other omissions was to spare some of the other speakers, such as Senator Richard Lugar, Rep. Ben Gilman, Patrick Fagan of the Heritage Foundation, and a Bush State Department official, any embarrassment over possible controversy caused by the Moon connection. Moon denies the divinity of Christ and claims to be the true Messiah.
AP religion writer Richard N. Ostling, in an August 27, 2001, story, noted the following:
"New religions such as Moon's often cite the Bible, but give it a radically different interpretation from that taught by mainstream Judaism or Christianity - faiths toward which Moon is sharply critical. Moon's doctrines are laid out in his 1957 scripture, titled 'Exposition of the Divine Principle' in the 1996 English translation.
"Moon's followers regard him as the new messiah or 'Lord of the Second Advent' who is providing the 'physical salvation' that Jesus was unable to accomplish because he was executed and didn't marry. Jesus gave only 'spiritual salvation.'
"By contrast, Christianity has always taught that Jesus' death on the cross gives complete salvation for all who believe in him."
You are undoubtedly familiar with how Moon selected one of his Korean disciples, Maria Sung, as a bride for Vatican-based Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo and conducted the nuptials days later. This has created a major conflict with the Roman Catholic Church. In fact, Moon is waging war with the Catholic Church, challenging its teaching on celibacy for priests.
Moon's statements and beliefs, as documented by the Web site, www.xmoonies.com, are frightening and anti-Christian. They include that:
- Jesus was a failure.
- Jesus was born of adultery.
- Moon's church will replace Christianity.
Some established "religious right" leaders have made common cause with Moon and have accepted his largesse. Smaller groups are very critical. One of them, known as the Watchman, is alarmed that Moon, born in North Korea,
"claims…to have seen a vision of Jesus in 1936 on Easter morning. In this vision Jesus told Moon either 'to restore God's perfect kingdom' or that Moon would be 'the completer of man's salvation by being the Second Coming of Christ.'"
Moon, who claims to be the true Christ, has said:
"Am I foolish and insignificant or am I great? I gave all the individuals in the world cause to kneel down in front of me."
He has some rather peculiar views about sex, and stories circulate about his personal and family life. He has preached about the "Love organ" and how man fell from God's grace because of "the misuse of the love organ." In one address, Moon said, "Our enemy is our love organ and lineage."
The January 24 Wetzstein story demonstrates how conservative or other political figures can be roped into a Moon activity without understanding Moon's involvement. A call to Lugar's office revealed that his staff had not been informed about Moon's backing of some of the various sponsoring groups.
First, the story said that one of the sponsors of the event is the "Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace." But it is NOT mentioned that Moon was its founder.
Second, the story said that the "University of Bridgeport" was a sponsor. This sounds like a respectable academic institution. But it neglected to mention that it is run by Moon through one of his organizations. It is known by residents of the area as "Moon University." It was purchased through the Moon front known as the Professors World Peace Academy (PWPA), which
"organized a panel on 'International Organizations and the United Nations' at Assembly 2000, a major international conference on 'Renewal of the United Nations and Building a Culture of Peace.' The conference was held in response to Secretary General Kofi Annan's call for renewal of the United Nations as a theme for its Millennium Assembly. It was sponsored by the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace and the UN Missions from Indonesia, Uganda and Mongolia."
Third, the story said that the Washington Times Foundation was a sponsor. Of course, the Washington Times Foundation, like the paper, is backed by Moon as well. But readers weren't reminded of that fact.
Moon Speaks on "Love Organ"
"Lineage took a wrong turn from the misuse of the love organ. What is the meaning of the human fall? It is misuse of the love organ. Therefore, the lineage took a wrong turn. Without the fall, lineage and the love organ should have come directly from God. God's attributes are eternal, absolute, unique and unchanging. Our lineage and love organs should be that way. That should be the organ God likes, not the one that Satan can interfere with and destroy. The human fall was the destruction of the lineage. The original lineage should have been a royal lineage, but now it is the lineage of butchers. That is why they are in opposite positions."
http://www.unification.net/news/news20010218_2.html
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Finally, the story said that Noel Brown of the "Friends of the United Nations" was a sponsor. This is a group that acts as an official consultant to the U.N. Department of Public Information. Brown, former director of the U.N. Environmental Program, used to sign his letters, "In the service of the earth." He was also associated with the Climate Institute, a group that gave Enron CEO Ken Lay and Ted Turner awards for their sensitivity to environmental concerns. He has affirmed the "rights of the earth" and has called for an "Environmental Security Council" at the U.N. to manage the affairs of the planet.
The article talked about a conference theme - strong families - when Moon has divided and hurt families by conducting impersonal mass weddings of followers who are ordered to get married and don't have anything - nationality, culture or language - in common.
The article also claimed that the U.N. has a "largely successful record in providing humanitarian aid…" Tell that to the people of Cambodia, thousands of whom got AIDS because AIDS-infected U.N. personnel raped or had sex with local women and fathered and left behind untold numbers of children, who are bullied and ostracized for being of mixed race before some of them die of a deadly disease.
Strong families indeed.
One of the Moon front groups, the IIFWP, distributed a story about the event, noting that:
"'Exploring the Future of U.S.-U.N. Relations'" was sponsored by
the IIFWP, The Washington Times Foundation and the University of
Bridgeport. Supporting institutions included the World Association
of NGOs (WANGO), the American Family Coalition, the American
Leadership Conference and the Summit Council for World Peace."
All of these organizations - every single one -- are fronts of Moon. That is, Moon either founded or is funding them.
The American Family Coalition is an interesting case. Its Web site proclaims that it is:
"a national non-profit grassroots leadership alliance promoting family and community renewal through educational and faith-based initiatives."
There is nothing apparent that would indicate it is a Moon front. However, if you type in Moon's name in the search engine, you will get three documents, including a sample invitation to another organization, the American Leadership Conference, which is acknowledged to have been founded by Moon. The invitation highlights a common Moon theme - strengthening families. One of the topics is:
"Marriage. What is the role of healthy marriages and family-friendly policies in shaping American society?"
Yet those mass weddings of Moon followers contradict the pro-family rhetoric. As you know, Moon has married hundreds of couples at a time in huge ceremonies. Many of the couples have only met each other recently after being paired together by Moon, who uses their photographs to match them. The AP quoted a church spokesman as saying that Moon is good at reading a person's character from the shape of their face.
Even WANGO - the World Association of NGOs - is a Moon front. Let me quote from the WANGO Web site (WANGO was once known by the acronym WAUNNGO):
"Rev. Moon not only became an active and early supporter of WAUNNGO, but a visionary who felt that the goals and vision of the organization should be grander, and should embrace the more dedicated and principled actors in the entire NGO community. From this foundation and inspiration, the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO) came into being. With the generous initial support and guidance of Rev. Moon, WANGO has enjoyed an active agenda of programs."
The Web site also discloses:
"On August 18, 2000, at the Convocation of World Leaders in the United Nations, WAUNNGO presented the first Universal Peace Award to the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, for his distinguished and extensive international and inter-religious work for world peace. Rev. Moon is the founder of numerous organizations devoted to such activities, including the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace, the International Security Council, the Assembly of the World's Religions, and the Women's Federation for World Peace, and he is a visionary who proposed such innovated proposals as the International Peace Highway Project, the creation of Peace Zones between nations in conflict, and the addition of a "religious general assembly" to the structure of the United Nations. Many other organizations that he founded also seek to enhance unity among individuals and institutions, such as the World Media Association, the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences, and the Association for the Unity of Latin America. Dr Nicholas Kittrie, chair of WAUNNGO and President of Eleanor Roosevelt Institute for Peace and Justice, presented the Universal Peace Award."
The WANGO secretary-general is Wally N'Dow, who ran the U.N. conference known as Habitat II and served as the convening chair of Mikhail Gorbachev's State of the World Forum.
| Moon Fronts
"Throughout his entire life, with a ministry spanning more than fifty years, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon has devoted himself to the pursuit of peace, and he has established numerous organizations and foundations whose main focus has been peace. These include the Professors World Peace Academy, the Women's Federation for World Peace, the Youth Federation for World Peace, the Inter-Religious Federation for World Peace, the World Media Association, the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences, the Federation for World Peace, the Summit Council for World Peace, and the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace." In his own description of the vision of the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace, Reverend Moon has proposed the development of a council of religious leaders that would work within the structure of the United Nations…"
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Let me give you another example of how Moon operates through his front groups. On October 20, 2001, Louis Farrakhan spoke at a Moon event in New York. Here's how the sponsors and participants were identified in a press advisory:
"Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace
(IIFWP) convenes more than 20 former heads of state including
Abdurrahman Wahid (Indonesia), Edward Schreyer (Canada), Rodrigo Carazo (Costa Rica); 40 UN Ambassadors including representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Arab League, Uzbekistan, Colombia, Hungary, Kenya, Ukraine, Nicaragua, etc.; current and former legislators and governmental leaders including Dan Quayle, Richard Holbrooke, Richard Thornburg, Danny K. Davis; together with religious leaders including Rev. Sun Myung Moon (IIFWP founder), Minister Louis Farrakhan, Pakistan's Minister of Religious Affairs, and representatives of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikkhism, and other major faiths…"
The Washington Times U.N. reporter Betsy Pisik covered it this way in an October 21, 2001, story:
"Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan yesterday condemned the U.S.-led bombing of Afghanistan, saying Washington had not proven its case against terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.
"Speaking to a gathering of religious leaders, Mr. Farrakhan said the U.S. government hadn't revealed the evidence to the Taliban, sharing it only with allies…
"Mr. Farrakhan keynoted a conference organized by the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace, a group organized by Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church [and founder of the Washington Times]. The conference included a hundred ministers from several religious denominations, and political figures, including former Vice President Dan Quayle, former Indonesian President Abudurrahman Wahid and the former presidents and prime ministers of Guyana, Guatemala, Barbados, Seychelles, Nepal and St. Kitts and Nevis.
"Most of them applauded often during Mr. Farrakhan's 100-minute speech and gave him a standing ovation afterward. The theme of the conference was an examination of the roots of global violence and how to deal with it.
"Mr. Quayle, who had left the gathering by the time Mr. Farrakhan spoke, had earlier angrily rejected suggestions that U.S. foreign policy in Iraq and the Middle East had provoked terrorist attacks…"
Pisik did note the role of Moon in this event. This was more than Wetzstein did in her January 24 article.
In an October 23 editorial based on the news story, the Times said:
"We have never seen anything from Louis Farrakhan but hatred for most of his fellow Americans, the Jews whom he famously said were followers of a 'gutter religion' and for other whites whom he has described as sub-human."
This was a welcome condemnation of a vicious hate-monger. But the editorial neglected to mention that its financial sponsor made the appearance possible.
In a November 13, 2000, commentary, Reed Irvine of Accuracy in Media and I commented on how the Times covered the "Million Family March" featuring Farrakhan and underwritten by Moon. Writing in the Times, columnist Adrienne T. Washington said, "Never mind the rambling, sometimes ranting political speeches..." and that, "...it was not the organizers but the purpose that mattered most." That purpose, she said, was family. She had to say this because the march, organized by a church group that pays her salary, featured extremist rhetoric and calls for racial struggle in the U.S. It was something that no decent family, black or white, should have participated in.
Farrakhan got the most attention for his role in sponsoring the Million Family March. He spoke, along with another figure from his organization who claimed that the AIDS and Ebola viruses were genetically engineered and part of a "biological holocaust" against black people. Another speaker was Communist Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua. Still another was Ron Daniels of the Center for Constitutional Rights, who said he remembered Ortega presenting a Soviet assault rifle, an AK-47, to Maurice Bishop of Grenada. Bishop was another Marxist, overthrown when President Ronald Reagan ordered U.S. troops to invade the island to rescue endangered American students. Daniels concluded his speech with the words, "The struggle continues." In the context of his reference to an AK-47 and Daniel Ortega, it had an ominous sound to it.
If this sounds like a radical gathering, rather than a family affair, you would not know it from reading some of the stories about this event. Unfortunately, the Washington Times turned in a dismal performance. The Times had a conflict of interest, since it is funded by businesses associated with Moon which organized the march together with the Nation of Islam.
A Times story by Clarence Williams, John Drake and Larry Witham ran under a headline claiming that the event was a day to honor family and that Farrakhan had toned down his rhetoric in his remarks. But by their own account, he called for reparations payments to black Americans, on the ground that their ancestors had been held as slaves. This proposal could cost trillions and inflame racial tension. The story mentioned some of the extreme rhetoric, but it failed to note that a convicted cop-killer, Mumia Abu-Jamal delivered a taped message to the gathering.
 | | "World Peace" is a Moon publication |
The story mentioned the involvement of the Unification Church but didn't ask any of its representatives to comment on the radical and racist rhetoric. The story also failed to mention that march organizers produced a political manifesto which claimed to offer solutions to various social problems. On the issue of drugs, the document cited The Final Call, Louis Farrakhan's newspaper, as a credible source for the bogus charge that the CIA introduced crack cocaine into black and Latino communities.
Kim Jong-il sends birthday gift to Rev. Moon
Korea Herald, February 9, 2000
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has sent a birthday gift to the Unification Church's Rev. Moon Sun-Myung, who is also president of the Federation of World Peace. Moon will turn 80 Friday. |
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A section on "political prisoners" claimed that the cop-killer, Abu-Jamal, was "unjustly" on death row. This was echoed by another rally speaker, Al Sharpton, who said "many" of the two million people in jail or prison in the U.S. were political prisoners. This rally should have been exposed by the Washington Times as the fraud it really was. The Times' owners, editors and reporters should have been ashamed.
I am frequently told that the Washington Times has been very critical of the United Nations. Another recent example was the January 26 front page story by Betsy Pisik which began:
"The United Nations disclosed yesterday that U.N. workers in Nairobi, Kenya, had been shaking down refugees desperate for asylum or resettlement in other countries. The scheme was so lucrative the extortionists threatened to kill the U.S. ambassador to Kenya to stall an investigation…"
But the keywords were "the United Nations disclosed…" This became a story only when the U.N. released some information. This story was broken - before the U.N. officially released anything - by Steven Edwards of Canada's National Post last year. He had an initial story last February, then a huge piece with all the details of the scam (all now confirmed) on March 24 on the front page.
Editorially, the Times supported Kofi Annan for another term as U.N. Secretary-General. Its March 31, 2001, editorial was titled, "Keep Annan On, for now." It should have been dated April 1 because I thought it was an April Fool's Joke. For a "conservative" newspaper to run an editorial so flawed and inaccurate was a supreme embarrassment. Its claim that Annan's positions "have generally been supportive of many U.S. interests" was just plain wrong, if not dishonest. In a letter to the Times, I noted that that the facts showed that Annan:
- Made a deal with dictator Saddam Hussein, leading to the expulsion of weapons inspectors and Iraq's re-emergence as an international security threat.
- Made a deal with Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, giving him immunity from prosecution in the Pan Am 103 terrorism case.
- Supports the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which was voted down by the U.S. Senate.
- Supports the global warming treaty, which would raise U.S. energy prices while benefiting Communist China and the Third World.
- Supports an International Criminal Court to arrest and imprison Americans.
- Supports the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, even though it was signed with a country that no longer exists and has been violated by the old Soviet Union and Russia.
- Supports the Biological Weapons Convention, even though China and Russia have violated it.
- Opposes a national missile defense system for the U.S.
- Collaborated with Hillary Clinton and Bella Abzug to promote abortion as an "international right."
- Smeared the U.S. as a greedy nation in a Notre Dame speech claiming Americans don't spend enough on foreign aid.
- Supports all "necessary revenues" for the U.N. (i.e. global taxes).
- Lent his support to the international campaign to abolish the death penalty in the U.S. and other nations.
- Berated the U.S. for not paying U.S. "dues" to the U.N. when America had contributed billions of dollars to peacekeeping operations that had not been reimbursed or credited to the U.S.
- Promotes "global debt relief," a cover for transfers of more U.S. wealth to deadbeat Socialist Third World dictatorships.
- Refused requests to authorize U.N. peacekeepers in Rwanda to seize weapons and prevent a genocide.
- Proceeded with an independence vote in East Timor that led to a bloodbath.
- Covered-up the fact that U.N. soldiers were spreading AIDS around the world.
The Times' claim that Annan "has championed some reforms that have helped make the United Nations more cost effective and transparent" was also false. U.N. whistleblower Linda Shenwick, a former budget analyst at the U.S. mission to the U.N., says no significant reforms have been carried out. No one has lost a job at the U.N. because of Annan's reforms. On the other hand, the U.N. pension fund has grown to $25 billion.
The Times is, of course, entitled to be pro-U.N. and pro-Annan, even though this stance is inconsistent with being "America's Newspaper," but conservatives should not be under the impression that it is something other than that. It is noteworthy that World Federalist Association (WFA) director of communications Tony Fleming wrote a letter to the Washington Times thanking the paper for endorsing Annan for another term.
You may be aware of the fact that UPI has been taken over by Moon. UPI claims that it will continue "the wire service tradition of strong unbiased coverage of major breaking news, along with depth coverage, analysis and commentary to provide insight into the world's most pressing issues." But UPI on October 21 carried a story about Farrakhan's speech at the Moon event that was remarkably similar to Betsy Pisik's article. However, it did not have Pisik's by-line on it. The UPI story carried the notation on the bottom:
"United Press International is owned by News World Communications Inc., a media company founded by Moon."
If this trend continues, noted one critic, UPI could become known as "Unification Press International."
The Washington Times continues to run some very good stories, and employs some excellent reporters. But its reputation as "America's newspaper" is in jeopardy. With stories like the Wetzstein offering on January 24, it may become known as another U.N. house organ, laying the groundwork for a "New World Order" with Moon and his radical Islamic allies in charge of global theology. America will have lost its Judeo-Christian heritage.
NOTE: THIS IS THE JANUARY 24 ARTICLE THAT CAREFULLY CONCEALS A MOON CONNECTION TO A PRO-UN EVENT:
U.S.-U.N. relations discussed at parley
Cheryl Wetzstein
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published 1/24/2002
The September 11 terrorist attacks have led to a new beginning in the often-rocky relationship between the United States and the United Nations, speakers told an international conference yesterday.
Now the question is how can the new partnership be strengthened and expanded, they said, offering answers such as learning from mistakes in past treaties, maintaining dialogue and recognizing the family as the most fundamental social institution.
"In many ways, we're enjoying a thaw in the icy relationships," said Thomas Walsh, secretary-general of the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP), one of the sponsors of the International Symposium on the United States and the United Nations, held yesterday at the Hyatt Regency Washington Hotel on Capitol Hill.
"There are few events in the world where one strike would affect 86 nationalities at the same time. That's what September 11th revealed - that our fate and fortunes are bound up with each other," said Noel Brown, president of Friends of the United Nations and co-chairman of the one-day conference, which was attended by more than 40 ambassadors and representatives of 107 nations.
"Round one" of the conversation about the new U.S.-U.N. relationship has begun and must be continued, Mr. Brown said.
But what is needed soon is a conference on the "middle-size and small world powers" because they will play a pivotal role in fighting - or aiding - terrorism, he said.
Sen. Richard G. Lugar, Indiana Republican, said that the estimated losses from the September 11 attacks include more than 3,000 lives, 1.4 million jobs and $60 billion in economic costs.
There is now renewed public interest in U.S. goals to identify persons who "for whatever reasons" want to kill others indiscriminately and prevent them from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, Mr. Lugar said.
Still, this "very important international agenda will not be achieved by the United States alone, nor by the NATO alliance," Mr. Lugar said. Instead, it will require an outreach to all who believe in the United Nations' agenda of peace and cooperation.
Speakers at the conference reviewed the troubled U.S.-U.N. history, its largely successful record in providing humanitarian aid and the successes and failures of recent peacekeeping efforts.
Patrick F. Fagan of the Heritage Foundation faulted the United Nations for following "disastrous" family and social policies from the United States and Europe. Yet Mr. Fagan stressed that with more dialogue "U.N. member states can take corrective action."
Strong families, living for the sake of others and surpassing the barriers that divide people are the ingredients for peace, said the Rev. Chung Hwan Kwak, chairman of the IIFWP, in closing the conference, which was co-sponsored by the University of Bridgeport and The Washington Times Foundation.
Among the speakers were Republican Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman of New York; Murari Raj Sharma, ambassador of Nepal and vice president of the U.N. General Assembly; Alan Kreczko, acting assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Populations, Refugees and Migrations; Mokhtar Lamani, ambassador and permanent observer of the Organization of the Islamic Conference to the United Nations; and Edward Luck, director of the Center on International Organization at Columbia University. (30)
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