Czech Pres has "been there - done that!!

As the leader of a country that suffered for years under the bootheel of communism and fascism, Czech President Klaus speaks from experience ---- and the world should listen!

Czech President Klaus for modernisation of United Nations
New York- Czech President Vaclav Klaus spoke in favour of modernisation of the United Nations at the General Debate of the 62nd Session of the U.N..
However, he rejected the effort at increasing the ability to act at the expense of pluralism of views.
He said the Czech Republic deserved to be elected a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council for 2008-2009.
"I believe that we can be trusted by the majority of Member States and that we do deserve their votes," Klaus said. Klaus stressed that the Czech Republic had been present in the body in 1994-1995.
"We were predictable and committed to hard work," Klaus said. "Now, as President of the Czech Republic I can assure you that we will do even a better job," he added.
The Czech Republic is deeply convinced about the necessity of prevention of and non-violent solution to conflicts, Klaus said.
"This can be proved by our own behavior - by the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992. Over the last years, we have multiplied our official development assistance," he added.
Klaus spoke in favour of removal of the barriers "that hinder economic progress, especially of developing countries."

The United Nations need changes that should more reflect the current situation in the world than at the time when it was established 62 years ago, Klaus said.
It is a "an extremely important and in fact irreplaceable platform. There is no substitute for it in the current world. It is a platform for meetings and consultations, for dialogue and - eventually - for reaching agreements on treaties among nations sharing the same or similar values and political stances," he added.

"This unique platform is based on the plurality of views of 192 Member States and on our mutual respect towards their, sometimes differing positions. The ambition of the U.N. is not, and should never be, searching for one obligatory, unitary view imposed by some of us on those who disagree," Klaus said.
Klaus said he was against the concept of "global governance," based on the "indefensible idea" that the world can be masterminded, controlled, managed and planned.
"To aspire to do that is something we can never accept," he added.
The efforts at making the decisions in the United Nations easier and faster should not threaten the exchange of views, Klaus said.
"Our communist past tells us that we should not do that. We also want the U.N. to be reasonably operational. But we categorically oppose that it happens at the expense of individual Member States," he added.
Klaus said meaningful activities should be supported, but not programmes that restrict human activities and harm economic development.
"We would help global development more by reducing barriers than by providing more conditional aid," Klaus said.
Klaus reiterated the issue of climate changes, he addressed at the Monday meeting of world statesmen in the United Nations.
"Even this potential problem, as well as any other, can never be solved without relying on freedom, free markets, free trade and other attributes of free society," Klaus said.
"To preserve environment is very important but we have to be more modest in our attempting to control the complexities of the world," he added.
Author: ČTK

You folks might also be interested to know that President Klaus has equally strong opinions regarding Al Gorebot's chicken little global warming shouts. Totally unsubstantiated hogwash that is being used as political tool to interfere with how independent nations function. He (along with several others) has challenged Gore to a public debate on the subject -- any place, any time! But like all the other challenges, Gorebot just jumps on his Limousine Lear and heads out of town..... Looks like Klaus would knock his ball out of the court as well! For an interview on this topic, go to: http://motls.blogspot.com/2007/09/vaclav-klaus-in-united-nations_09.html Or just Google Czech President Vaclav Klaus.