Bill Delahunt: “I also want to add to the remarks of the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings) and our ranking member, the gentleman…”

“I also want to add to the remarks of the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings) and our ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), when it comes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde). I have served with the chairman both on the Committee on the Judiciary and on the Committee on International Relations. I have profound respect and deep affection for him, but I do not like his bill. It is clear that there is a consensus that the United Nations needs reform. We want reform. Our allies want reform. The Secretary General wants reform. Just this week a congressionally created task force chaired by the former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and the former majority leader Senator George Mitchell issued a report urging adoption of many of the proposals put forth by the Secretary General; but it did not recommend that Congress withhold dues to serve as a catalyst to bring about those reforms. Presumably, they were in agreement with the eight former U.S. Ambassadors to the United Nations, both Republican and Democrat, who stated yesterday in a letter to the congressional leadership, and I would ask my colleagues to pay close attention to this particular excerpt, ``Withholding U.S. dues to the United Nations may sound like smart policy, but would be counterproductive. It would create resentment, build animosity and actually strengthen opponents of reform. It would place in jeopardy the reform initiatives most important to U.S.…”