Nikki Haley: The U.S. Supports Its Allies

Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, stated on Friday that the approach of the Donald Trump administration is to demonstrate American strength, support allies, and ensure their backing for Washington. Last Tuesday, the U.S. Senate confirmed Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, as the U.S. representative to the United Nations with 96 votes in favor and 4 against. According to Reuters, in a brief press statement before her meeting with the UN Secretary-General, Haley said: "Our government's goal is to demonstrate our value in a way that reflects our values, voice, and strength, support our allies, and also ensure their support for us." The new U.S. representative to the UN emphasized that they will remember those who do not support them and will respond appropriately to their actions. Meanwhile, Francois Delattre, the French representative to the UN, and Matthew Rycroft, the British representative to the UN, stated that they look forward to beginning cooperation with Nikki Haley. The U.S., the UK, France, Russia, and China are the five permanent members of the Security Council. A U.S. delegation official stated that after Haley's meeting with Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, the two had a good and constructive dialogue regarding reforms in the UN. Haley told reporters that they will work to make what works better and will try to fix what does not work, while anything outdated and unnecessary will be discarded. According to Reuters, the U.S. is the largest financial supporter of the UN, paying 22% of the $5.4 billion budget of the UN. The U.S. also pays 28% of the nearly $8 billion budget for UN peacekeeping forces. The report adds that Donald Trump has called for a review of U.S. financial contributions to international organizations. In this context, Nikki Haley was confirmed by the Senate as the U.S. representative to the UN. The U.S. Ambassador to the UN stated that the Security Council should not overlook Iran's actions in the region. Trump nominated the former governor of South Carolina to represent the U.S. at the UN.