In
UN
Legal Vote,
Syria Comes in
Last Amid
Grumbles,
Colombian
Coffee
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 17 --
As members of
the UN
International
Law
Commission
were elected
Thursday,
there were
more happy
diplomats
than sad ones.
Only the Latin
American and
Caribbean
States group
had
significantly
more
candidates
than seats,
leading to a
run-up in
which the
Costa Rican
candidate
edged out one
from Peru for
the seat.
Next
most
competitive
was the Asian
group, in
which notably
not only did
Sri
Lanka's Perera
not win a
seat: Syria
got the lowest
total vote, at
a
mere 49.
"It's
politics,"
more than one
diplomat told
Inner City
Press. One
went further,
musing that
"the Syrian
could be the
best lawyer of
the lot, or
even an
opposition
lawyer, at
least quietly.
But here he
will lose,
even
though this is
supposed to be
about the
law."
The
winners,
though, were
happy. Germany
bragged that
its candidate
Georg Nolte
got the most
votes. Japan's
candidate got
the most in
the Asian
group; Egypt
in the African
group, with
South Africa
and its
candidate Dr.
Dire Tladi in
second.
Cameroon
Permanent
Representative
Tomo Monthe,
whose
candidate got
141 votes,
immediately
phoned his
ministry and
the winner.
Diplomats
leave GA, we
leave them in
distance with
swag bags (c)
MRLee
Cote
d'Ivoire's
candidate got
103 votes, but
was among
three in the
African group
not to get a
seat, along
with Mali at
104 and Sudan
at
92. (Sudan's
candidate
"worked on
Abyei," Inner
City Press
was told.)
In
the Western
European and
Other states
Group,
Permanent
Security
Council member
the US got a
seat, along
with France,
whose legal
specialist was
on
the scene. For
December
International
Criminal Court
vote, France
has offered to
support a
candidate
judged
unqualified in
exchange for
support for
its candidate
Bruno Cathala.
Will it work?
Colombian
coffee bag on
the move,
anonymous diplo-legs
(c) MRLee
In
Thursday's
Asia
group voting,
Thailand got a
seat, along
with Qatar,
Indonesia,
India's
Narinder
Singh, South
Korea, Jordan
and China.
Among the
Eastern
Europeans
only Poland
missed the
cut, with 90
votes.
Among the
Latins, Brazil
came in first
-- Permanent
Representative
Viotti was
there with her
delegation --
with fellow
Security
Council member
Colombia
winning
the last
pre-runoff
seat, with
102. Many
diplomats came
out of the
General
Assembly
chamber with
Juan Valdez
Coffee bags.
Call it a
caffeinated
election.
The
next round in
the
International
Court of
Justice battle
between Sierra
Leone and
Uganda will be
on November
22, GA sources
say. Click here for that
story, and
watch this
site.
, 
