Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: “systematic mismanagement and corruption within the United Nations organization has been part of the bureaucratic culture…”

“systematic mismanagement and corruption within the United Nations organization has been part of the bureaucratic culture as never before. The United Nations is accountable neither to taxpayers nor to voters. As a safeguard, the Henry Hyde United Nations Reform Act of 2005 targets crucial areas of the United Nations organization to ensure that U.S. taxpayer funds hauled off to Turtle Bay is spent in a deliberative, efficient, transparent and accountable manner. Additionally, the bill before us this week empowers the administration to fix the United Nations by making it very clear that U.S. funding to that body will be drastically cut unless the United Nations takes the appropriate action to save itself. The discrimination against Israel is one of the many problems in the United Nations. The viciousness with which Israel continues to be attacked at the U.N., and the reluctance of many member states to defend Israel or to accord it the same treatment as other member states, suggests that there is considerable anti-Semitic components behind the policies pursued in the U.N. forums. I believe that in the Henry Hyde United Nations Reform Act this week we will make sure that everyone will be on record to say that it is unacceptable that Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, should remain ostracized by the community of nations, and I urge my colleagues to pass the Henry Hyde U.N. Reform Act this week. ____________________”