The US Department of Defense believes that the UN Secretary General has shown too much openness to accommodate Russian interests.
Classified Pentagon documents posted online show the US is closely monitoring António Guterres’ stance on the war in Ukraine.
The Pentagon has had access to private conversations between Guterres and his delegate Amina Mohammed and is analyzing the UN Secretary General’s statements on the war, the BBC revealed Thursday.
One of the documents focuses on the Black Sea agreement – signed between kyiv and Moscow and negotiated by the United Nations and Türkiye in July to unblock the export of Ukrainian grain and Russian fertilizers, following fears of a global food crisis, suggesting that António Guterres was so committed to preserving the deal that he was willing to accommodate Russian interests.
“Guterres emphasizes his efforts to improve Russia’s ability to export,” including the involvement of “sanctioned entities or individuals,” which, the Pentagon believes, “has called into question the global effort to hold Moscow accountable for its actions in Ukraine.” “.
In response, the United Nations does not comment directly on the revelations of secret Pentagon documents, but a senior official says that the organization has always acted before “the need to mitigate the impact of war on the poorest.”
“That means doing everything possible to lower the price of food” and “ensuring that the price of fertilizer is affordable for the countries that need it most,” adds the same source.
Russian grains and fertilizers have not been subject to international sanctions, but Moscow complains that exports have been indirectly affected and has twice threatened to suspend cooperation on the Black Sea deal.
TO TSFVítor Ângelo, former assistant secretary general of the United Nations, where he worked for more than 30 years, believes that the US always exerts strong pressure on the United Nations secretariat.
“The truth is that the United States watches on a daily basis the work of the Secretary General and the Secretary General of the United Nations. – General of the United Nations.”
“By the way, the US mission to the United Nations is a very large mission and one of the objectives of this mission is to follow exactly every word, every step of the Secretary General and the main officials of the United Nations system in New York. .”
In the case of the Black Sea agreement, which facilitates the export of Ukrainian cereals and other food products to international markets, Vítor Ângelo only has praise for the work carried out by the Secretary General of the United Nations.
“The cereal agreement was very important and the commitment of the Secretary General of António Guterres was enormous. It was he who personally committed himself to the resolution of this agreement, which was a very difficult agreement, taking into account the Russian position, and he achieved it. , in collaboration with the President of Turkey, to reach an agreement. And that, of course, is very important.”
Assuring the supply of cereals to Europe and avoiding a more serious food crisis is considered, by the United States, a humanitarian action, when the expectation would be a position of strength.
“Simply to the Americans this is seen only as a humanitarian action. And what they expect from the Secretary General is a political action. And this is one of the issues that is often referred to: the Secretary General has a great tendency to deal with humanitarian issues and is relatively hesitant about resolving political issues, especially if the political issues have to do with the permanent members of the Security Council.
The former assistant secretary general admits that the organization’s position during the Ukrainian War has been marginal.
“The United Nations has been in a relatively marginal situation, shall we say, when it comes to a political solution. But as I also said, a political solution is not easy. For example, China itself, which has exceptional power, has has not wanted to get involved in an attempt to resolve and mediate the conflict from a political point of view, that is, at this moment there are no conditions to find a political solution, but the fact that there are no conditions to find a political solution does not It means that one does not have to insist daily on the need to find a solution”.
More than a year after the start of the invasion, António Guterres should continue to insist on his condemnation of the invasion, defends Vítor Ângelo.
“The Secretary General has to say, he would say almost every day, that the war must be ended, the violation of international law must be ended, it is essential to find a political solution and that the General Secretariat, and in particular, the Secretary General, in particular, is willing to help find that political solution.”
Source: TSF
