On
Libya,
As Russia
Moves to End
NATO Mandate,
UK on Air
Traffic
Control
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 21 --
A day after
Gaddafi's
death, Russia
made a
proposal in
the Security
Council to end
NATO's mandate
and the no fly
zone. Asked
for a copy of
the proposal,
Russian
Ambassador
Churkin
told the press
that it is
"short and
sweet, like
all Russian
texts."
UK
Permanent
Representative
Mark Lyall
Grant, when he
emerged, said
that things
are not that
simple. He
said Churkin
acknowledged
not having
spoken
with the
Libyans, and
said the UK
had.
He said for
example that
NATO
has been
running air
traffic
control and
would have to
hand this over
in a
controlled way
to the Libyans
to avoid
chaos.
Inner
City Press
asked Lyall
Grant if this
can be done in
10 days,
aiming at the
European
stated October
31 deadline.
Lyall Grant
said he
thought so.
Lyall
Grant at
stakeout after
Karman Oct 21,
air traffic
control not
shown (c)
MRLee
French
Permanent
Representative
Gerard Araud
called
Russia's
proposal "too
simple."
Since
the meeting
took place
past 7 pm due
to an election
upstairs in
the General
Assembly which
France had
tried to stop
due to the
absence of
translation
after 6, Inner
City Press
asked Araud if
despite the
French threat
not to
participate he
had in fact
voted. Araud
refused
to comment on
it.
In
the rounds of
voting before
6 pm, all 193
UN members
participated;
after 6, only
191. Did
France in fact
drop out? Is
this question
"too simple"?
Watch this
site.
, 
