At UN,
New Zealand's
Day Has
Tukutuku,
Ukraine and
Eritrea
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Country by
Country
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 12 --
When New
Zealand
celebrated its
national day
in the
entrance of
the UN General
Assembly on
February 12,
there was
music and art
and
Ambassadors
ranging from
South Africa
and
Afghanistan
through
Lithuania and
the UK to
Eritrea,
Bosnia and
Ukraine.
There were
venison
sliders and
kiwi martinis;
there was a
speech from
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon,
thanking New
Zealand for,
as the
invitation put
it, "43
handwoven
tukutuku
hand-woven
panels that
have been
installed on
the New
Zealand wall,
our original
gift to the
United Nations
which has
stood by the
Delegates’
Entrance since
1952."
Some
of the weavers
were present,
speaking with
the press and
posing for
example with
well-known UN
Security
officer Ralph
(who showed
them his
selfie with
Barack Obama).
In the run up
to speeches by
New Zealand
Ambassador Jim
McLay then
Ban, Urkaine's
Ambassador
Sergeyev mused
to Inner City
Press about
Nagorno-Karabakh,
also
negotiated in
Minsk. Herve
Ladsous, head
of UN
Peacekeeping
caught in a
sale of jobs
scandal,
huddled with
Afghanistan's
Ambassador
Zahir Tanin.
On that, we'll
have more.
Many of those
in attendance
marveled to
Inner City
Press at the
breadth of the
turnout. Is it
due to New
Zealand's
nuanced
positions?
Three
weeks into a
two year UN Security
Council term,
New Zealand's
Permanent
Representative
Jim McLay on
January 21
offered a
criticism,
however
diplomatic, to
the Council's
work on
Ukraine.
After speeches
by his US
counterpart
Samantha Power
and Russia's
Vitaly
Churkin, among
others, McLay
said that “we
believe the
Security
Council must
live up to its
responsibility
under the UN
Charter. This
Council met in
2014 no fewer
than 27 times
to discuss the
situation in
the Ukraine.
So far we've
seen very
little impact
from all this
high level
attention.”
“And so it
is,” McLay
continued,
“that at this
meeting number
28, New
Zealand
affirms that
this Council
is properly
seized of this
matter and it
calls for a
more
purposeful
Council
engagement
with a real
focus upon
supporting
efforts for
negotiation a
solution to
this conflict.
Only then we
will see
tangible
outcomes for
those most
affected, the
people of
Eastern
Ukraine.”
When
Ambassador
McLay left the
Security
Council
chamber, this
reporter asked
him what he
meant about
this “more
purposeful
Council
engagement” on
a topic which
has devolved
into little
but accusatory
speeches.
McLay stopped
and replied,
“I'd prefer to
leave that
until we have
some closed
consultations.”
He added of
the day's
Council
meeting on
Ukraine, “It
was going to
be in private,
then some said
it's going to
be in public.
We didn't
object to
that, but as
you and I both
know...” His
voice trailed
off.
In the open
meeting,
Russia's
Churkin said
that “at the
beginning of
today's
meeting we
were supposed
to have closed
consultations
to actually
take a look at
whether or not
the Security
Council could
makes it
contribution
to settling
the Ukrainian
crisis.
However the
delegation of
the United
States waved
its hand and,
no.”
Could taking
at least part
of the
Security
Council's
meetings about
Ukraine behind
closed doors,
where
negotiation or
at least more
direct talk is
possible, be a
New Zealand
contribution
to the
Council's
work? Watch
this site.
, 
