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At UN, Russia and Georgia Spar Again on Child Rights, Genocide and Cover-Up Charged

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, October 16 -- Russia and Georgia, which fought a war in August and pointedly did not meet each other at yesterday's planned meeting in Geneva, re-opened their war of words on Thursday night at the UN. At the end of a routine meeting of the General Assembly's Third Committee, on the protection of children, Russia's representative took five minutes to decry "the crimes of Georgia" in bombing South Ossetia on August 8 "with the assistance of foreigners."  The allegation was made that Georgia's other breakaway region, Abkhazia, was slated to face the same fate, which Russia called "genocide."

  Georgia, given its right of reply, said that the allegations were false and "we ask for an investigation."  The chairman then gave the floor back to the Russian representative, who read into the record stories about particular South Ossetian victims. A car was hit by Georgia tanks, it was recounted, and a mother was "catapulted out." A 14-year old was killed by snipers. An elder spent three nights in a cellar surrounded by dead bodies.  "They used knives on a pregnant woman, saying 'this child will fight against us.' Both died."

  The Russian representative concluded that there was more to say, but not in "this lofty sphere."  The chairman, seeming miffed, gaveled the meeting to a close. Afterwards, the Georgian representative who had spoken in the session emphasized to Inner City Press that the Russian had not responded to her call for an investigation.

Envoys on Georgia, UN 3rd Committee fireworks not shown

  Her colleague from the Georgian mission added that Russia could say that anyone had been killed, even Inner City Press -- "but they have to prove it."

  It seems clear that the Russia - Georgia standoff will continue in all UN venues and elsewhere. On the aborted Geneva meeting of October 15, Inner City Press on October 16 asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson under what authority the UN had blocked the press from even covering the entrance and exit of officials from the meeting, held on UN premises.  If the UN just fully excluded the press in Geneva, might they not do it in New York? The spokesperson, as she had on October 15, promised to look into it. We'll see.

Note: Catch this reporter on Icelandic television, www.ruv.is

Watch this site, and this Oct. 2 debate, on UN, bailout, MDGs.

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These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

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