A vital step in any possible reform of the United Nations will be the election of the next Secretary-general. Kofi Annan will stand down at the end of 2006. His second five-year term has been overshadowed by charges of mismanagement stemming from abuses of the Iraq oil-for-food program and other scandals. His successor should guarantee advancement of the UN and also stand for integrity.
The indication by outgoing Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski that he might run for the job is disturbing.
Kwasniewski and Corruption
Kwasniewski’s candidacy is alarming news for those who would like to see an end to corruption at the U.N.
Kwasniewski, a former communist apparatchik, is about to leave his presidential office this fall. In presidential elections to be held on Oct. 9, two center-right parties are expected to capture around 70% of the vote. Kwasniewski’s party, the ruling Democratic Left Alliance, was defeated in the September parliament election in Poland (their strength in the lower house will be reduced from 217 seats to about 50, which is the lowest point for the Alliance since it was created in 1990). The result of the parliamentary election and the expected result in the presidential election are considered a slap in the face for Kwasniewski. In both elections the scandals and corruption that have tainted his administration have figured heavily. It is alleged that Kwasniewski used his position to influence the sell-off of a state-owned oil refinery to the Russians. He is expected to be brought before the State Tribunal, the Polish judicial body that rules on the constitutional liability of people holding the highest offices of state. Kwasniewski’s name is associated with the politicians accused of profiteering on the war in Iraq. He also tried to cover up a multi-million-dollar corruption scandal in which film producer Lew Rywin solicited a $17.5-million bribe from the Polish daily “Gazeta Wyborcza” in return for favorable changes to media laws, which, by the way, were meddled with by the politicians from Kwasniewski’s party.
The list of scandals is long; no wonder one Polish magazine called Kwasniewski “Alexander K., the president of all swindlers.”
Kwasniewski and China
The candidacy of Kwasniewski is also not good news for those who would like to see the collapse of the communist regime in China. Mr. Kwasniewski is a good friend to communist China and renowned for his hug-and-kiss welcomes for communist dictators Jiang Zemin (who enjoyed dancing with Kwasniewski’s wife) and Hu Jintao. In 1998, Kwasniewski and his wife paid a visit to China. During the visit Kwasniewski signed a declaration stating that there is only one China—the People’s Republic of China. Politicians and human right activists in Poland were outraged. Other countries sign similar declarations with communist China, but none goes as far as to interpret “one China” as the People’s Republic of China.
This support for the communist regime in China did not pass unrewarded. The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Poland repaid Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski by donating money to a foundation run by his wife Jolanta. During his presidency Kwasniewski encouraged close cooperation between the Polish left-wing establishment and China and frequent bilateral visits, even though China’s motives for the visits and meetings were very obvious.
China spends a lot of money campaigning to improve its image around the world, and to induce the politicians of other nations to ignore Tibet and the situation of Taiwan. The Chinese regime is building a net of international arbiters who will discriminate against Taiwan in the international arena and help create the false image of a peaceful communist China. Pharisaical Kwasniewski agreed to be one the chains in the net.
The election for the next U.N. secretary-general will take place in fall next year. Kwasniewski, who has recently expressed interest in the job and frequently visits the U.S. campaigning for support, will be the candidate with a background of scandals and hypocrisy. Is that what the U.N. needs?