19 September 2001

Negroponte Takes Up Post as Chief U.S. Envoy at U.N.

By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent

United Nations -- U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte took up his post as the chief U.S. representative to the United Nations September 19 presenting his credentials to Secretary General Kofi Annan in a brief meeting at U.N. headquarters that was overshadowed by the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center a week earlier.

"You come at a critical time.... You come at a time when the international community is thinking of putting together a coalition to fight terrorism," Annan said, welcoming the new ambassador. "We're going to have a lot to do together."

"You must have seen the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly -- the sort of unanimous condemnation and the support that came out of the membership and their desire to move ahead and work together to fight this scourge. So we have a lot to do," the secretary general said.

"I couldn't agree with you more that we have an extraordinarily full agenda ahead of us at this very critical time," Negroponte said. "I look forward to working with you, your colleagues, and with the other permanent representatives here at the United Nations on this highly important project in the days and weeks ahead."

"We noted that the United Nations did its part the very first day by passing resolutions both at the Security Council and in the General Assembly for which we were extremely grateful," the ambassador said. "As President Bush said this morning we're all working hard to form this international coalition against terrorism."

Negroponte was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as permanent United States representative to the United Nations on September 14 and sworn in by Secretary of State Colin Powell on September 18. His most recent position was as executive vice president for global markets of the McGraw-Hill Companies.

Negroponte served for 37 years in the Department of State as a career diplomat. He had eight different assignments abroad including membership in the U.S. Delegation to the Paris Peace Talks on Vietnam in 1968-1969.

Negroponte served as ambassador to Honduras from 1981-1985; ambassador to Mexico from 1989-1993; and ambassador to the Philippines from 1993-1996. From 1996-1997 he was Special Negotiator for Post-1999 U.S. Presence in Panama.

He also served as deputy assistant secretary of state for Oceans and Fisheries Affairs from 1976-1979 and was deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific Affairs in 1980.

President Reagan named Negroponte deputy assistant to the President for national security affairs under General Colin Powell when Secretary of State Powell was the national security advisor.