Thursday, December 30, 2004
Are Kofi Annan's enemies going to sink the United Nations?
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
The controversy around the proposal to build a 35-story office building tohouse the UN Secretariat during a much-needed renovation of the 53-year oldwhite structure gracing New York's waterfront, a symbol that once embodiedthe world's hope for eternal peace, has put our neighborhood into thecenter of decisions affecting the entire world-wide process for assuranceof co-existence.
Our neighbors, members of Community Board #6, are passing oninternationally weighty matters. The project to save the UN,architecturally at least, and potentially impacting the entire UN worldsafety net as we know it, would destroy the Robert Moses Park, a spot ofgreen on 1st Avenue between 41st and 42nd Streets. A sacrifice, to becompensated by the UN, in return opening a promenade along East River. Thatis the world's payback to the city. Can we deal with the challenge, membersof the global community that we are?
The proposal, supported by Mayor Bloomberg's administration, requires State legislature approval, since it involves doing away with a park. It wassteered through the NYS Assembly by our own Steve Sanders, with theproper provisions for "mitigation" and "replacement," terms acceptable tothe Community Board #6, and a requirement that the project follow theULURP, Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. Majority leader Joseph Bruno hadthe parallel measure introduced in the NYS Senate. Then it ran into localpoliticos, notably Senator Martin Golden (R. Brooklyn) who declared that aslong as Kofi Annan was Secretary General of the UN, he would militateagainst it. This struck a heavy cord with the conservative upstaters, andBruno felt compelled to shelve the bill. Notwithstanding the Bush administration's approval and federal funds allocated for the renovation ofthe Secretariat building, Bruno's office quotes concern that the UN mightfail, and stick the city with the costs of the proposed new construction(the office building is to be financed by bonds issued by the UNDevelopment Corporation, a city-state agency set up to cope with UN'sneeds.) This appears to be an ominous recognition of the Red States' hatredfor the world organization, and certain post-Presidential electionexpectations to sink it.The entire concept is built for controversy. Already the City Council isawash with emotion - several members, not just those representing theOrthodox Jewish community, are rallying against it. The East Siders,traditionally an internationalist group, are divided. There are the NIMBYpark advocates, clashing with the world peace proponents, who see the UN,faulty and ineffective and hateful though it is, as the communal groundsfor the global village meeting, and the foes of the UN.
It should be notedthat since 1948 there have been some 59 UN peacekeeping efforts (SuezCanal, Mozambique and El Salvador were notable successes) and some of theSecretariat's current 16 peacekeeping efforts are partially making it, at acost comparable to that of NYC's fire and police departments.The old Secretariat flagship structure, now 53 years down the road, worn bythe meetings and tourists - still a major destination for dreamy -eyedvisitors - needs preservation.Assemblyman Sanders has attempted to cope with the community objections tosurrender the Robert Moses park for world peace by offering a possiblesubstitution, that the UN build the new offices in its own front yard, thelawn north of the Secretariat Building. That plan disfigures the symbolismof the UN structure and turns the hope of the world into another tightoffice complex. Furthermore, it requires UN rather than public bondfinancing, putting another strain on the contributing nations.
CommunityBoard #6 is dealing with the proposal strictly as a land use matter, as itshould, staying away from the political implications and negotiating withthe UNDC, just like another landlord, for further concessions.It is understood that Assemblyman Sanders will reintroduce the legislationin the next session of the legislature, but only if he has assurances ofsuccess in the Senate.Cofi Annan is the palpable symbol of the controversy, with his positionsvis-à-vis Israel and the war. His son's profiteering in the oil-for-foodand medicine effort contributes to the argument. Paul Wolcker'sinvestigation is a year away from conclusions. A period of inactivity isahead.
From the point of vantage of this observer, the UN, with all its faults, isstill the only common grounds for international cooperation. The neighborhood should be willing to accept the sacrifice required for thegreater good of the global village.UN might as well continue to be here,under our eyes, as in Bonn, where empty office buildings appear to be stillwaiting for international tenants, should NYC fail them. For the mothers ofthe neighborhood, it will involve wheeling the baby carriages around, alot, from one venue to another. It is doable, we have done it. Giving up asmall park and acquiring a promenade, and furthering the principle of peacein the world...come on, play the odds.
Wally Dobelis thanks Gary Papush and Carol Schachter of CB #6 and Matthew Grace of The New Observer for information.
The controversy around the proposal to build a 35-story office building tohouse the UN Secretariat during a much-needed renovation of the 53-year oldwhite structure gracing New York's waterfront, a symbol that once embodiedthe world's hope for eternal peace, has put our neighborhood into thecenter of decisions affecting the entire world-wide process for assuranceof co-existence.
Our neighbors, members of Community Board #6, are passing oninternationally weighty matters. The project to save the UN,architecturally at least, and potentially impacting the entire UN worldsafety net as we know it, would destroy the Robert Moses Park, a spot ofgreen on 1st Avenue between 41st and 42nd Streets. A sacrifice, to becompensated by the UN, in return opening a promenade along East River. Thatis the world's payback to the city. Can we deal with the challenge, membersof the global community that we are?
The proposal, supported by Mayor Bloomberg's administration, requires State legislature approval, since it involves doing away with a park. It wassteered through the NYS Assembly by our own Steve Sanders, with theproper provisions for "mitigation" and "replacement," terms acceptable tothe Community Board #6, and a requirement that the project follow theULURP, Uniform Land Use Review Procedure. Majority leader Joseph Bruno hadthe parallel measure introduced in the NYS Senate. Then it ran into localpoliticos, notably Senator Martin Golden (R. Brooklyn) who declared that aslong as Kofi Annan was Secretary General of the UN, he would militateagainst it. This struck a heavy cord with the conservative upstaters, andBruno felt compelled to shelve the bill. Notwithstanding the Bush administration's approval and federal funds allocated for the renovation ofthe Secretariat building, Bruno's office quotes concern that the UN mightfail, and stick the city with the costs of the proposed new construction(the office building is to be financed by bonds issued by the UNDevelopment Corporation, a city-state agency set up to cope with UN'sneeds.) This appears to be an ominous recognition of the Red States' hatredfor the world organization, and certain post-Presidential electionexpectations to sink it.The entire concept is built for controversy. Already the City Council isawash with emotion - several members, not just those representing theOrthodox Jewish community, are rallying against it. The East Siders,traditionally an internationalist group, are divided. There are the NIMBYpark advocates, clashing with the world peace proponents, who see the UN,faulty and ineffective and hateful though it is, as the communal groundsfor the global village meeting, and the foes of the UN.
It should be notedthat since 1948 there have been some 59 UN peacekeeping efforts (SuezCanal, Mozambique and El Salvador were notable successes) and some of theSecretariat's current 16 peacekeeping efforts are partially making it, at acost comparable to that of NYC's fire and police departments.The old Secretariat flagship structure, now 53 years down the road, worn bythe meetings and tourists - still a major destination for dreamy -eyedvisitors - needs preservation.Assemblyman Sanders has attempted to cope with the community objections tosurrender the Robert Moses park for world peace by offering a possiblesubstitution, that the UN build the new offices in its own front yard, thelawn north of the Secretariat Building. That plan disfigures the symbolismof the UN structure and turns the hope of the world into another tightoffice complex. Furthermore, it requires UN rather than public bondfinancing, putting another strain on the contributing nations.
CommunityBoard #6 is dealing with the proposal strictly as a land use matter, as itshould, staying away from the political implications and negotiating withthe UNDC, just like another landlord, for further concessions.It is understood that Assemblyman Sanders will reintroduce the legislationin the next session of the legislature, but only if he has assurances ofsuccess in the Senate.Cofi Annan is the palpable symbol of the controversy, with his positionsvis-à-vis Israel and the war. His son's profiteering in the oil-for-foodand medicine effort contributes to the argument. Paul Wolcker'sinvestigation is a year away from conclusions. A period of inactivity isahead.
From the point of vantage of this observer, the UN, with all its faults, isstill the only common grounds for international cooperation. The neighborhood should be willing to accept the sacrifice required for thegreater good of the global village.UN might as well continue to be here,under our eyes, as in Bonn, where empty office buildings appear to be stillwaiting for international tenants, should NYC fail them. For the mothers ofthe neighborhood, it will involve wheeling the baby carriages around, alot, from one venue to another. It is doable, we have done it. Giving up asmall park and acquiring a promenade, and furthering the principle of peacein the world...come on, play the odds.
Wally Dobelis thanks Gary Papush and Carol Schachter of CB #6 and Matthew Grace of The New Observer for information.
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 6:18 AM 
