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Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/21/AR2009022101750.html
With Rivals in Key Posts, U.S. Faces Hurdles at UN
[Washington Post] Colum Lynch - President Obama's UN envoy, Susan Rice, has pledged to "refresh and renew American leadership" at the UN. But U.S. rivals with a long history of opposing American aims now hold some of the most influential posts at the world body, a testament to the diminished power of American diplomacy to shape the organization. The General Assembly is headed by a leftist Nicaraguan priest, Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, who routinely rails against the evils of American imperialism. Cuba chairs the Non-Aligned Movement. Libya serves on the Security Council and next year will preside over the General Assembly. Last week, Libya blocked a U.S. plan for a Security Council resolution condemning violence against civilians in south Darfur. Even Iran and Sudan, which are subject to U.S.-backed UN sanctions, have secured leadership positions on the board of the UN's top development agency and at the head of the Group of 77, a group that coordinates social policies for Third World countries.