New US envoy to UN vows to 'show our strength'
As US President Barack Obama prepares to leave office on January 20, here are 10 things his presidency may be remembered for.
South Carolina Gov Nikki Haley speaks at the Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention in Washington. (Cliff Owen, AP)
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United Nations – Washington’s new ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, vowed Friday to show US strength in global affairs and delivered a blunt warning to opponents of President Donald Trump’s policies.
“For those who don’t have our backs: we’re taking names,” Haley told reporters at she arrived at UN headquarters for her first meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“We will make points to respond to that accordingly. ”
“Our goal with the administration is to show value at the UN, and the way that we will show value is to show our strength, show our voice, have the backs of our allies and make sure that our allies have our back as well,” she said.
The former South Carolina governor made her first remarks at UN headquarters before presenting her diplomatic credentials to Guterres.
Their first meeting is expected to be clouded by reports of a draft executive order being prepared at the White House that could deprive the United Nations of billions of dollars in US financial support.
The United States is by far the UN’s biggest financial contributor, providing 22 percent of its operating budget and funding 28 percent of peacekeeping missions, which currently cost $7.8 billion annually.
The 45-year-old daughter of Indian immigrants said she was ready to push for an overhaul of the United Nations and made clear there would be cuts.
“This is a time of strength. This is a time of action. This is a time of getting things done,” Haley said.
“Everything that is working, we are going to make it better. Everything that is not working we are going to try and fix. Everything that seems to be obsolete and not necessary, we’re going to do away with,” she said.
A change at the UN
In his pledge to pursue an “America First” foreign policy, Trump has dismissed the United Nations as “just a club for people to get together and have a good time. ”
Relations with Trump became tense after the Security Council adopted a resolution demanding Israel end settlement construction.
The former US administration declined to use its veto to block the measure, prompting Trump to promise that “things will be different” at the United Nations under his administration.
Tough-talking Haley echoed that stance.
“You are going to see a change in the way we do business. It’s no longer about working harder but working smarter,” she said.
Met Secretary-General
The ambassador then held a brief 20-minute meeting with Guterres who was “delighted to meet her,” said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
“It was an introductory meeting and the start of engagement with the new US administration,” he said.
Guterres, who took over from Ban Ki-moon on January 1, is also pushing for changes at the United Nations to improve its ability to respond to crises.
UN officials are eager to engage with the new US envoy on the way forward on a range of issues from key appointments to top UN posts to faltering peace efforts in Syria, Yemen and South Sudan.
Haley’s appointment was welcomed by many diplomats who notably praised her for her strong stance against racism as South Carolina governor, when she ordered that the Confederate flag be pulled down from the state capitol.
Her lack of diplomatic experience however is expected to be a challenge as she confronts a string of complex issues on the agenda of the Security Council, where the United States is one of the five veto-wielding powers.
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ドイツ自動車大手フォルクスワーゲン（ＶＷ）の排ガス規制逃れで、独検察当局は２７日、詐欺などの容疑で、ウィンターコルン前会長を捜査していると発表した。世界の自動車業界を揺るがした事件はトップの刑事責任が問われる事態に発展する可能性が高まった。 前会長は早い時期で不正を把握していたとの疑惑を否定している。だが、検察当局は発表で関係者の聴取などから、前会長が主張するよりも早い時期に不正を認識していたとみる十分な根拠を得たとした。 検察は一昨年秋の事件発覚直後、前会長を詐欺容疑の捜査対象としたが、その後、「氏名不詳の幹部」に切り替えていた。検察は２７日、捜査対象者を２１人から３７人に拡大したことも明らかにした。（ベルリン 宮下日出男）
【ワシントン＝小雲規生】米商務省が２７日発表した２０１６年１０～１２月期の実質国内総生産（ＧＤＰ、季節調整済み）速報値は年率換算で前期比１．９％増となり、前期（３．５％増）から成長ペースが急減速した。市場予想の２．２％増も下回った。輸出の落ち込みや個人消費の伸びの鈍化が影響した。 トランプ米大統領は４％成長を目標に掲げているが、前期に好調だった米国経済は再び「通常運転」に戻った形だ。トランプ氏は輸出拡大を目指し、各国政府への圧力を強める可能性もある。米連邦準備制度理事会（ＦＲＢ）は１月３１日～２月１日の連邦公開市場委員会（ＦＯＭＣ）では、追加利上げを見送るとみられている。 １０～１２月期は輸出が４．３％減と大きく落ち込む一方、輸入は８．３％増と急増。連邦政府の支出も減少した。またＧＤＰの約７割を占める個人消費の伸びは２．５％で、前期の３．０％から伸びが鈍化したことも成長率の足を引っ張った。一方、民間設備投資は伸びが加速した。 同時に発表された１６年通年の成長率は１．６％で、１５年の２．６％から減速した。１６年前半の世界的な金融市場の混乱や英国の欧州連合（ＥＵ）離脱決定をめぐる不透明感などを背景とした低成長が影響した。
