Christopher, U.N. Chief ‘in Each Other’s Face’ Over Somalia Policy

Secretary of State Warren Christopher and U.N. Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali clashed sharply over Somalia policy, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday, with the U.N. chief criticizing the United States for planning to bring home its troops too soon and Christopher complaining that the United Nations is getting in the way of a political settlement.

“They got in each other’s face,” the official said, describing the Monday afternoon meeting in Christopher’s office.

“The secretary general was very concerned about what happens after March of 1994 (when U.S. troops are scheduled to be withdrawn), and the secretary was very interested in what happens now and what the disposition of the United Nations would be on some of the efforts under way at the moment,” the official said.

The description of the meeting came as the House served a measure of notice Tuesday that it still lacks confidence in President Clinton’s handling of foreign affairs by passing a non-binding resolution calling for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Somalia by Jan. 31.

Having thus registered its concern, however, the House--wary of treating the President too harshly--then passed a superseding resolution that officially supported Clinton’s plan to withdraw the troops by March 31. Although the maneuver appeared confusing, House members said the purpose was to send Clinton a message.

“The signal we have to send this Administration is that we are not satisfied with the way foreign policy is being conducted or the Pentagon is being run,” said House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.). “It is important for the President to understand that he has a deep and very serious foreign policy crisis and that he needs to thoroughly overhaul his State Department and his Pentagon apparatus.”

Despite strong appeals by Democratic leaders, 55 Democrats jumped the aisle and joined 168 Republicans in passing the first resolution by a vote of 223 to 203. The superseding resolution was approved, 226 to 201.

The faceoff between Boutros-Ghali and Christopher followed weeks of veiled sniping between the former Egyptian diplomat, who was elected to the top U.N. post with U.S. backing, and the top leadership of the Clinton Administration over the right way to end starvation and clan violence in Somalia.

The confrontation may be part of a new assertiveness on the part of Christopher, who has come under criticism on Capitol Hill for not being forceful enough. Last week, he pointedly advised a congressional critic not to confuse “courtesy for lack of resolve.”

Boutros-Ghali has made no secret of his belief that the U.S. forces should disarm the factional militias, a step rejected first by the George Bush Administration, which sent U.S. troops to Somalia, and then by the Clinton Administration.

In a speech Monday night, Boutros-Ghali complained that the world’s major powers seem unprepared to deal with ethnic conflicts, which he said pose the gravest danger to world peace.

In a pointed reference to Clinton’s plan to withdraw American forces from Somalia by March 31, he said member states “should be prepared to stand up to the consequences and to stay the course” when the United Nations tries to deal with ethnic warfare.

Asked by reporters about his differences with the Administration, Boutros-Ghali said: “You have to accept that you may differ in certain points of view and this is healthy.”

State Department spokesman Mike McCurry described Christopher’s meeting with Boutros-Ghali as “a very frank and candid discussion,” diplomatic code words that are often used to describe an open fight.

“They’re dealing with some difficult issues that both the United States and the United Nations are managing,” McCurry said. “I think the secretary made clear the U.S. view on a number of questions that the secretary general had.”

He said the conversation concentrated on Somalia, Haiti and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The senior official who talked to reporters later said that the disagreement was limited to Somalia.

Asked if Boutros-Ghali lacked confidence in the ability of the Organization of African Unity to keep the peace in Somalia after U.S. troops pull out, the official seemed to nod in agreement.

“He does have a point of view on activities by governments within the Horn of Africa,” the official said.