Issue: Wednesday, July 19, 1995 - page 7

Against the backdrop of the blue and white United Nations flag fluttering in the Lake Chautauqua breeze, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations, Yuli Vorontsov addressed the past, present and future of the United Nations from the Amphitheater podium in Monday's morning lecture.
   Drawing upon a 30 year relationship with the U.N., Vorontsov moved from the Cold War years of accusation to the mid-1960s focus on economic development and disarmament to the present United Nations, which he feels stands poised to enter its most active phase, fully emphasizing its charter.
   "Born from the flames of a terrible war," Vorontsov said, citing 50 million dead (29 million of whom were Russian) as evidence, emerged the United Nations. Although the idea behind "we the peoples of the United Nations" was to "be together, never divided into fighting corps," Vorontsov said, he hesitated to credit 50 years without a world war to the United Nations. "The scars of World War II kept the peace," Vorontsov said.
   Vorontsov cited the Cuban missile crisis as an example. Through the United Nations Security Council, the crisis was kept from escalating into nuclear war, but it played a limited role, according to Vorontsov. Rather, the success in avoiding war he placed on the shoulders of President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev who realized mutually that they went too far.
   "I have seen three United Nations," said Vorontsov, who began a lasting relationship with the world body as a junior member of the Soviety contingent in 1954. For these years at the height of the Cold War, Vorontsov maintained that the Eastern and Western blocs were muddled in the "competition of inventing accusation."
   He related several anecdotes from his experiences as a junior member.
   In particular, he recalled a Russian delegate who had fallen asleep during roll call. As the call made its way around the room, it fell upon the Australian representative, who answered "Yes, I am here." Hearing "yes" from the Australian, the Russian representative assumed he must oppose his counterpart, so he answered, "No, not here." Although the anecdote was humorous, it also underscored Vorontsov's point that a sharp divide existed and would continue until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 and 1990.
   With the addition of 50 newly independent nations, 1964 represented the "second" United Nations, according to Vorontsov. "They wanted solutions," Vorontsov said. And while the United Nations remained stuck in the mire of accusation and belligerence, these new nations forced some change in the United Nations by calling for economic assistance. Through the persistence of these nations, the United Nations and its permanent members would link the ideas of nuclear disarmament with economic development, a positive step.
   The response to the end of the Cold War in 1990 offers the third phase of the United Nations, according to Vorontsov. "No bickering, no fighting, solving problems together, the first test was Iraqi aggression," he said. Vorontsov praised the cooperation among nations and the new understanding "that we can act better together."

   He cited several successes of the United Nations in the six years since the Cold War including Cambodia, Rwanda, the Liberian Civil War and Haiti. These events are the result of the United Nations achieving a much more significant role in the world.
   Vorontsov pointed out the recent failures in Somalia, where the United Nations did not stop the civil war or serve to unify the government. But Vorontsov added that the United Nations did succeed in supplying food to several hundred thousand people, keeping them alive.
   As for the United Nations' involvement in Bosnia, he explained that "we cannot solve the problem for them, but we can sit them down in a room and not let them out until they solve the problems," Vorontsov said.
   And while he admitted the United Nations has not achieved peace in Bosnia, the convoys of humanitarian aid and protection of civilian lives represented a good result.
   As for the future of the United Nations, Vorontsov remains optimistic. The present actions represent "only the beginning of the United Nations along new lines—all the lines of the charter," Vorontsov said.
   While he expressed optimism, Vorontsov also spoke of the pressing realities in the United Nations. He addressed the poor financial state of the United Nations as a problem of the United States and Russia not paying their share ($1 billion owed by the U.S. and $500 million by Russia).
   He pointed out the need to rethink the structure of the United Nations, namely the Trusteeship Council. "We don't need an empty hall and we don't need an empty charter," he said. He felt a good response would be a Council on Social Affairs to fill this hall.
On the other hand, he expressed enthusiasm in the common training missions of United States and Russian soldiers. He also pointed out the need for both countries to recognize each other as neighbors. In addition to Canada and Mexico, Vorontsov explained that the United States has a third neighbor by common border, Russia, by way of the Bering Strait near Alaska.
He closed by emphasizing a view of the world from space, "from up there, earth is small and fragile," Vorontsov said.