Argentina's
Month, With
Snowden Not
Syria, Ends
with
Dancing in the
Dark
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 29 --
When Argentina
held its end
of UN Security
Council
presidency
reception
Thursday
night, the
smell of the
Permanent Five
members'
domination of
international
affairs was
still
acrid in the
air.
Thursday
afternoon
at 2:30 pm the
P5 held a
meeting in
their
clubhouse next
to
the Security
Council. It
continued as
regular rank
and file
members
of the UN
filed into the
Council
chamber to
hear a "wrap
up"
debate about
Argentina's
month.
But
Syria the
biggest issue,
at least
according to
the media and
Western
capitals, was
debated in a
small room
with just five
countries.
Left
to the other
elected ten,
and to the
UN's other 178
members, were
conflicts in
Africa,
generic issues
like
cooperation
with regional
organizations
and the
protection of
civilians.
Argentina
did
well with
these two. As
Inner City
Press reported
from the first
day of their
presidency,
the regional
cooperation
debate
included
Cuba for
CELAC, and a
healthy dose
of Latin
outrage at the
grounding
of Evo
Morales' plane
and the US
spying through
the NSA,
exposed by
whistleblower
Edward
Snowden.
(Bolivia
raised it
again on
August 19,
in connection
with the UK's
nine hour
detention
under
anti-terrorism
laws of
journalist
Glenn
Greenwald's
partner David
Miranda.)
These
important
topics are
rarely heard
in the
Security
Council, so
Argentina
deserves
credit.
The
UK might say
different,
angry that the
August 6
session
focused in on
the Malvinas
or Falkland
Islands. We
have to report
it: while UK
Permanent
Representative
Mark Lyall
Grant was back
from vacation
at
the P5 Syria
meeting on
Thursday, he
left right
after and was
not
seen, at least
by this
reporter, at
Argentina's
end of
presidency
reception.
This
was held out
of the UN, at
Malbec / Tango
House on
Lafayette
south of
Astor Place. A
bit of full
disclosure, or
making-of:
CitiBike is a
welcome
program, but
at six pm on
First Avenue
in front of
the UN
there are no
bikes. Nor on
43rd Street in
front of the
Ford
Foundation,
nor even on
39th and
Second. Once
found on 32nd,
it's a
nice ride to
Astor Place.
Inside,
the
wine was
Argentine, and
the talk
turned to,
what else,
Syria.
Inner City
Press was told
that the P5,
so
dysfunctional,
will meet
with Ban
Ki-moon on
Friday, and
that a Council
session on
Monday,
Labor Day, is
possible.
The read-out
from the
closed door P5
meeting
included not
only what
Inner City Press
already
reported (Russia
pushing Geneva
Two and UK its
resolution)
but also
request for
more inspections
inside Syria,
not only Ghouta.
Good luck.
Pursuing
other
issues, Inner
City Press
learned that
the slide of
UN
Peacekeeping
under Herve
Ladsous into
the position
of combatant
began
even before
the killing
this week of a
Tanzanian
soldier in the
UN
Intervention
Brigade. There
is a lot of
concern, but
few will say
it.
We will.
On
stage, five
couples and
four musicians
conjured
Buenos Aires,
with
split skirts
and accordian
and bow on
stand-up bass.
Inner City
Press joked it
should have
been done in
the Security
Council, with
dapper Oscar
Fernandez
Taranco,
himself
Argentinian or
Italian as
convenient,
briefing amid
a dance.
There
were DPRs, PRs
like Togo and
Australia,
next month's
president.
Argentina's
Permanent
Representative
Perceval,
civil and
classy all
month,
continued to
the end.
Anyone who
missed the
dancing in the
dark missed
out. But the
Security
Council is so
often dancing
in the
dark. Watch
this site.
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