On
Iraq
- Kuwait
Tomorrow's
News Today,
Statements
Pre-Reported
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
June 20, updated
-- Iraq and
Kuwait have
been on the UN
Security
Council's
agenda for
years. On
Tuesday
afternoon they
were the
agenda
item at 3 pm,
before the
higher profile
Syria briefing
by General
Robert Mood.
And late
Wednesday
afternoon,
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
Wang of China,
which holds
the Council
presidency for
June, came to
read out a
press
statement.
Inner
City Press
was the only
journalist
there and
asking
questions;
while
Ambassador
Wang read,
Inner City
Press tried to
research the
question. The
first
online
article was
from the
Kuwait News
Agency,
datelined
10:44 am
Kuwait time
or 13 hours
before Wang
spoke.
But
the KUNA
article
reported that
"President Li
Baodong of
China" had
already read
out the press
statement
"after the
closed-door
consultations."
This
was not true
- the
statement was
actually read
out the next
day, by Li
Baodong's
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
Wang.
The
KUNA article
ended that the
Council would
"determine if
Iraq is ready
to exit
the Chapter
VII of the UN
Charter."
Inner
City Press
asked Wang if
this was
discussed and
on the table.
Wang expressed
surprise,
reading back
section of the
press
statement but
no
reference to
this review. Video
here, from
Minute 6:05.
Later
it was
explained to
Inner City
Press that the
press
statement had
"almost
been bilateral
between the UK
and Russia."
Later still it
was
explained that
while the UK
holds the pen
on Iraq and
Kuwait, as the
US holds the
pen on the
Sudans (except
for the UK on
Darfur)
and France on
Ivory Coast,
the UK
engaged with a
number of
parties and
not only
Russia.
But
the fact
remains that
the press
statement was
not final
until it was
read out
after 5 pm on
Wednesday by
Chinese deputy
Wang; it was
NOT read out
earlier by Li
Baodong. As
one wag put
it, the UK
hold the pen,
but it
is not a magic
pen. Or is it?
Footnote:
This
ad hoc media
critique may
be of the type
that Inner
City Press
is
being
prosecuted for,
amid demands
that its
coverage
should in the
future "not
involve other
UN
correspondents."
But when
things that didn't
happened
are reported
as having
happened at
the UN,
is it
responsible to
not report it?
, 
