U.S. quits talks on global migration pact over sovereignty clash

[webfact]

U.S. quits talks on global migration pact over sovereignty clash

By Michelle Nichols

 

FILE PHOTO - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks for a bid to renew an international inquiry into chemical weapons attacks in Syria, during a meeting of the U.N. Security Council at the United Nations headquarters in New York, U.S., November 17, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

 

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States has quit negotiations on a voluntary pact to deal with migration because the global approach to the issue was "simply not compatible with U.S. sovereignty," said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.

 

In a statement released late on Saturday, the U.S. mission to the U.N. noted that President Donald Trump made the decision.

 

"No country has done more than the United States, and our generosity will continue," said Haley, whose parents are immigrants from India. "But our decisions on immigration policies must always be made by Americans and Americans alone."

 

"We will decide how best to control our borders and who will be allowed to enter our country," she said.

 

Trump campaigned last year on a promise to deport large numbers of immigrants and build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico to help tackle illegal immigration and crime in the United States. Since he took office in January, he has also moved to ban U.S. entry by people from select Muslim countries.

 

With a record 21.3 million refugees globally, the 193-member U.N. General Assembly adopted a political declaration in September last year in which they also agreed to spend two years negotiating the pact on safe, orderly and regular migration.

 

Former U.S. President Barack Obama's administration backed the resolution, known as the New York Declaration, which also asked U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi to propose a global compact on refugees for adoption in 2018.

 

"The global approach in the New York Declaration is simply not compatible with U.S. sovereignty," Haley said.

 

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres regretted the U.S. decision, his spokesman said on Sunday, but expressed hope the United States might re-engage in the talks.

 

"The positive story of migration is clear: it needs to be better told. Equally, the challenges it throws up need to be tackled with more determination and greater international coordination," U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said.

 

Three days of preparatory talks begin in Mexico on Monday ahead of the start of formal negotiations in February over the non-binding pact.

 

Haley's predecessor Samantha Power mocked the U.S. move.

 

"How to further insult your Mexican neighbour, turn your back on humanity's most desperate, and make America irrelevant on a hugely destabilising global crisis in one easy step," she posted on Twitter.

 

While former U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said on Twitter: "On migration, national solutions logically do not exist ... Going it alone is a lose-lose proposition."

 

(The story corrects name of U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees from Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein to Filippo Grandi in paragraph seven.)

 

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-12-04

[nausea]

51 minutes ago, webfact said:

"We will decide how best to control our borders and who will be allowed to enter our country," she said.

As a UK person this argument sounds familiar.

[KMartinHandyman]

Or many countries who bought into the EU experiment which seems like a hybrid of the United States except less control over Brussels than Americans have over Washington.

[simple1]

It has long been suggested that the UN Convention for Refugees and associated matters be reviewed and updated in the 21st Century context, with all nations to participate in policy development for applicable International Rule of Law.

 

IMO opinion it is disappointing the Trump Administration has rejected the opportunity to engage with the international community for the benefit of humanity to address some of the causes of conflict and misery. Before posting atypical right of centre responses, it would be a good idea to read the summary of intent of the New York Declaration outlined at the pdf below. 

 

http://www.unhcr.org/584689257.pdf

 

Edited December 4, 2017 by simple1

[Jonmarleesco]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

"No country has done more than the United States, and our generosity will continue," said Haley, whose parents are immigrants from India. "But our decisions on immigration policies must always be made by Americans and Americans alone."

 

"We will decide how best to control our borders and who will be allowed to enter our country," she said.

I suppose she has seen the irony in this ... or perhaps she hasn't.

[Krataiboy]

Yeah, right on, bro'. Let Europe bear the brunt of the  massive refugee crisis created by the US-led "war on terror" which has displaced untold millions across North Africa and the Middle East.

 

One of the few truths uttered by Henry Kissinger was "America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests". He meant, of course, self-interest, as Trump is now demonstrating.

[Morch]

4 hours ago, Krataiboy said:

Yeah, right on, bro'. Let Europe bear the brunt of the  massive refugee crisis created by the US-led "war on terror" which has displaced untold millions across North Africa and the Middle East.

 

One of the few truths uttered by Henry Kissinger was "America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests". He meant, of course, self-interest, as Trump is now demonstrating.

 

It's-all-the-USA-fault brigade for the rescue.

[Andaman Al]

There must be many countries that would love to be the "capital" of the United Nations. I think London or Paris would benefit enormously. The UN should pull out of the USA and leave them to it. The USA will fall into insignificance before the next elections. I read at the weekend that even all of the tech guru's are starting to pull out of the USA. The writing is on the wall - Trumps writing, Trumps wall.

[Morch]

53 minutes ago, Andaman Al said:

There must be many countries that would love to be the "capital" of the United Nations. I think London or Paris would benefit enormously. The UN should pull out of the USA and leave them to it. The USA will fall into insignificance before the next elections. I read at the weekend that even all of the tech guru's are starting to pull out of the USA. The writing is on the wall - Trumps writing, Trumps wall.

 

Wishful thinking, at best.

[simple1]

1 hour ago, Morch said:

 

Wishful thinking, at best.

Correct, but Trump is unfit to hold the Office of the President of the USA. I include a number of his senior advisers as also unfit as manifested by Trump's unbelievable destructive decisions which began as soon as he was sworn in - e,g, withdrawal from the TPP - nihilism at it's worst.

Edited December 4, 2017 by simple1

[rosst]

12 hours ago, nausea said:

As a UK person this argument sounds familiar.

Yes, I am an Aussie and good for the Yanks, the people wishing to invade our countries to then try to impose their ideas and religious beliefs needs to be controlled and dictated by the affected countries, not the bloody UN. 

[kbelyeu]

On 12/4/2017 at 4:53 AM, simple1 said:

Correct, but Trump is unfit to hold the Office of the President of the USA. I include a number of his senior advisers as also unfit as manifested by Trump's unbelievable destructive decisions which began as soon as he was sworn in - e,g, withdrawal from the TPP - nihilism at it's worst.

#MAGA

[mrwebb8825]

So, the EU decided to handle mass immigration on their own by dictating to many counties as a small, representative body in control,  fell flat on its face but want to begrudge the US for not following suit and allow a small, representative body to be in control. Typical. 

[ilostmypassword]

On 12/4/2017 at 10:47 AM, Krataiboy said:

 

 

One of the few truths uttered by Henry Kissinger was "America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests". He meant, of course, self-interest, as Trump is now demonstrating.

And how does that make the USA different from other nations?

Edited December 7, 2017 by ilostmypassword

[Krataiboy]

3 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

And how does that make the USA different from other nations?

It doesn't. But few nations have worked so hard to persuade rest of us believe otherwise.

Edited December 7, 2017 by Krataiboy

[Krataiboy]

36 minutes ago, Krataiboy said:

It doesn't. But few nations have worked so hard to persuade rest of us believe otherwise.

Sorry about the gookledegob. Should read:

 

It doesn't. But few nations have worked so hard to persuade the rest of us to believe otherwise.