Trump accuses UN of being ‘good time club’ and failing to reach its potential
DONALD Trump has said the United Nations is just a club for people to “have a good time”, days after the world body voted to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
The US President-elect said on Twitter the UN had “such great potential”, but had become “just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!”.
On Friday, billionaire property mogul Mr Trump warned: “As to the UN, things will be different after January 20th” – referring to the day he takes office. The decision by the Obama administration to abstain from Friday’s UN vote brushed aside Mr Trump’s demands that the US exercise its Security Council veto and provided a climax to years of icy relations with Israel’s leadership.
Mr Trump has said he wanted to be neutral on Israel-Palestinian issues. But his tone became decidedly more pro-Israel as the presidential campaign progressed. He has spoken disparagingly of Palestinians, saying they have been “taken over” by or are condoning militant groups. His tweet about the UN ignores much of the work that goes on in the organisation.
This year the Security Council has approved more than 70 legally binding resolutions, including new sanctions on North Korea and measures tackRecep ling conflicts and authorising the UN’s far-flung peacekeeping operations around the world.
The General Assembly has also approved dozens of resolutions on issues such as the role of diamonds in fuelling conflicts, condemned human rights abuses in Iran and North Korea and authorised an investigation of alleged war crimes in Syria.
Mr Trump’s criticism of the UN is not unique. While the organisation does engage in large-scale humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts, its massive bureaucracy has long been a source of controversy. It has been accused by some Western governments of being inefficient, while developing nations have said it is overly influenced by wealthier nations.
Mr Trump tweeted later on Monday: “The world was gloomy before I won – there was no hope. Now the market is up nearly 10 per cent and Christmas spending is over a trillion dollars!”.