U.N. Secretary General Criticizes Hungary’s Treatment of Migrants
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Version 0 of 1. UNITED NATIONS — Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sharply rebuked Hungary for what he called its unacceptable treatment of people fleeing war and said Russia’s stepped-up military support for the Syrian government would only make the devastating conflict worse. And for the first time, Mr. Ban weighed in on his succession, saying he supported the calls for a “qualified, accomplished woman” to take over the United Nations when his term ends at the end of 2016. His remarks came during his annual news conference ahead of the General Assembly’s gathering of world leaders. This year’s session, which starts on Sept. 25 with a speech by Pope Francis, marks the 70-year anniversary of the United Nations. These were the three notable points from Mr. Ban’s news conference: First, he addressed the calls for a woman secretary general to succeed him in 2017. “As I’m the eighth secretary general — male — I think it’s high time for member states to discuss and consider this kind of aspiration,” he said. He had never before been so candid about his preferences. But then he backed off a little, saying, “It’s entirely up to member states to decide who is the best person who will lead this organization.” In reality, the five permanent members of the Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — decide, and usually behind closed doors. This year, the General Assembly is calling on candidates to present their résumés and ideas before the broader membership in informal sessions. Though in the end, nothing compels the council not to do what they’ve always done: present the General Assembly with one name to rubber-stamp. Among the permanent five, only the British ambassador has explicitly said that his country favored a female contender among equally qualified candidates. The Russian ambassador, Vitaly I. Churkin, pointed out what he saw as the risks of these calls for a woman leader. “If we keep saying, ‘women, women,’ men are not going to apply,” he said in an interview this week, sounding somewhat exasperated. He added that for Russia, it was more important that an East European lead the organization, regardless of gender. Second, for a leader widely known to be cautious in public, the secretary general was unusually pointed in his criticism of Hungary. Asked about Hungarian riot police beating back people on the border, Mr. Ban said: “I was shocked to see how these refugees and migrants were treated. It’s not acceptable.” Mr. Ban said he had spoken to the Hungarian prime minister and asked him to treat migrants within the bounds of international law. “Since they are people fleeing wars and persecution then we must assure our compassionate leadership,” he said, calling on European countries to first provide migrants with water and shelter, and then discuss how they are to be accommodated. Third, he expressed unease about the reports of Russia’s stepped-up military backing of the Syrian regime. This was most unusual because Mr. Ban rarely criticizes a permanent member of the Security Council, even obliquely. In answer to a question about Russia, he said he was “concerned about the parties arming, providing arms” and predicted that it would “only help the situation growing worse and worse, deteriorate.” He went on to say what he has said many times: that only a political agreement can end the war, not military victory. He reiterated the numbers on Syria: 250,000 dead and 11 million people displaced in five years of war. |