Sununu Nomicated to United Nations
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 — When the United Nations opens its 59 th Session of the General Assembly Tuesday in New York, Sen. John E. Sununu will be in attendance.
Sununu was nominated by President George W. Bush Monday to be one of two representatives of the U.S. delegation to the Assembly. Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT) was the other nominee. Every year, two members of Congress, one Democrat and one Republican, are selected as Congressional delegates to the United Nations.
As a Congressional Delegate, Sununu will assist the U.S. delegation in promoting United States goals. The web site of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations says these goals are to combat trafficking of persons, advance economic freedom and ban human cloning. When Leahy served previously as a Congressional Delegate in 1994, he helped lay the groundwork for the eventual international treaty to ban the production, use and export of anti-personnel landmines, according to a press release from his office.
“The international community continues to face complex issues, and the UN remains an important organization to facilitate global cooperation,” said Sununu in a press release. “This nomination is an honor, and I look forward to participating in the opening of the UN General Assembly next week.”
Sununu’s chairmanship of the Senate Subcommittee on International Operations and Terrorism, the subcommittee responsible for oversight of the many United Nations-related programs, is the main reason Foreign Relation Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN) recommended Sununu for the position, according to Foreign Relations Committee press secretary Andrew Fisher. The nominees are also generally members of the Foreign Relations Committee, of which Sununu is a member.
According to Fisher, Sununu was Lugar’s first choice.
“(Sununu) is very active new member to the committee and has taken a deep interest in the UN,” said Fisher.
Fisher said the Subcommittee on International Operations and Terrorism is responsible for oversight of the United Nations building itself, the construction of a new building and the security issues around the United Nations. He said that Sununu’s position as a Congressional representative would complement his position as chairman of the Subcommittee on International Operations and Terrorism.
The nomination of congressional delegates alternates between the House and the Senate. Last year, Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ) and Rep. Amo Houghton (R-NY) were delegates. Nominations are subject to approval by the Foreign Relations Committee, as well as the Senate. Fisher said such confirmations are a formality. Neither the Senate Foreign Relations Committee office, nor Sununu’s office, knew when the confirmations would take place.
