U.S. Senate votes 78-20 to confirm Thomas-Greenfield as UN ambassador

Robert Besser
26 Feb 2021, 16 GMT+10

Career diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield was approved to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
The U.S. Senate voted 78-20 to confirm Thomas-Greenfield as the next UN ambassador.
Republicans who opposed her nomination said she was too forgiving to China and would not promote U.S. principles.

WASHINGTON DC: - Career foreign service diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield was approved to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations this week.

The U.S. Senate voted 78-20 on Tuesday to confirm Thomas-Greenfield as the next UN ambassador.

Thomas-Greenfield, was a retired 35-year veteran of the foreign service at the time she was nominated.

"We can count on Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield to work with international partners to confront our collective challenges head on, and play an active role in ensuring the U.N. evolves with the demands of our era as an essential forum for collective problem-solving and catalyst for global progress," according to Elizabeth Cousens, president of the United Nations Foundation.

Those Republicans who opposed her nomination said she has been too forgiving to China and would not promote U.S. principles at the United Nations.

Opponents pointed to a 2019 speech in which Thomas-Greenfield had shown her refusal to criticize Chinese behavior. In the hearings she labeled that speech "a mistake."

Also during the hearings, Thomas-Greenfield described China as an adversary, saying "their actions threaten our security, they threaten our values and they threaten our way of life, and they are a threat to their neighbors and they are a threat across the globe."

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