[US] Engaging in 'terrorism' over poverty declaration, Butler says

From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Reporter: Hamish Fitzsimmons

TONY JONES: Australia's former ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Butler, has accused the United States Government of 'terrorism' over its plans to abandon United Nations targets to reduce global poverty. The US has moved 750 amendments to a draft declaration on the United Nations millennium development goals, which aim to alleviate global poverty by 2015. The Federal Government is being urged to fight the amendments, but it says it believes the US is negotiating in good faith. Hamish Fitzsimmons reports.

HAMISH FITZSIMMONS: Ten years ago, as Australia's ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Butler, chaired meetings which led to a declaration to reduce world poverty. Now the United States has moved 750 amendments to that declaration, which Mr Butler has responded to in a typically blunt manner.

RICHARD BUTLER, FORMER AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UN: They're trying to destroy the document. 10 years ago I chaired the 50th anniversary of the UN and the Syrians were the terrorists. They tried to destroy the document on the 50th. This time, the 60th anniversary, the terrorists seeking to destroy a declaration of all countries agreeing with each other is the United States.

HAMISH FITZSIMMONS: World leaders, including the Prime Minister John Howard, meet next week to endorse a final declaration on the so-called millennium development goals agreed on in 2000. These set measurable targets for health, human rights, AIDS, the environment, education, and reducing poverty by 2015. The proposed US amendments seek to delete the use of the phrase "millennium development goals" in any declaration from the summit next week. US ambassador John Bolton says his country does not support the subsidiary targets and indicators in the package. The 11th hour moves have alarmed aid groups, who are urging the Australian Government to fight the amendments.

JAMES ENSOR, OXFAM: What we would want to see is a clear unequivocal statement from Prime Minster Howard in the lead-up to the summit to the millennium development goals to increase Australian aid to meet agreed United Nations targets and to commit to very specific measures from the summit for governments to contribute to poverty reduction over the next 10 years.

RICHARD BUTLER: I hope you're right that the Australian Government will join with the overwhelming number of the world's countries and resist this terrorist attack on the document for the 60th anniversary.

HAMISH FITZSIMMONS: The Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, didn't want to be interviewed, but a spokesman told Lateline the Australian Government believes the US is negotiating in good faith and Mr Butler's comments are typically anti-American. There is frantic lobbying at the UN to try and salvage the final declaration. Today the US indicated it may be willing to accept the use of the phrase "millennium development goals" provided it can be properly defined. Hamish Fitzsimmons, Lateline.