In
UN
Election, As
Slovenia
Criticizes
Process &
Quits,
Azerbaijan
Wins
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 24 --
After 17
rounds of
votes with
Azerbaijan
with
a Security
Council seat,
Slovenia
withdrew late
Monday,
criticizing
the way the
election was
held. Even
after that,
though
Azerbaijan won
with 155
votes, there
were 24
abstentions,
13 votes for
the withdrawn
Slovenians and
one for
Hungary.
Inner
City Press
asked
Azerbaijan's
foreign
minister what
he thought of
the
abstentions,
about his
country's
position on
Palestine and
whether it
would put its
dispute with
Armenia about
Nagorno -
Karabakh on
the
Council's
agenda.
He
replied that
Azerbaijan
follows the
line on
Palestine of
the
Organization
of the
Islamic
Cooperation
and of the
Non-Aligned
Movement: that
is,
supporting
full UN
membership for
Palestine.
Prior
to Slovenia's
withdrawal, it
was said that
both
Azerbaijan and
Slovenia
currently
favor
Palestinian
membership in
the UN -- but
it was argued
that
Slovenia'
government
might change,
"like
Portugal's."
The
Azeri minister
said putting
Nagorno-Karabakh
on the agenda
depends not
only on it
but on the US,
Russia and
France. (Of
France, a
European
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
told Inner
City Press of
French
Ambassador
Araud, "Gerard
didn't do
Slovenia any
favors with
his
translation
games on
Friday" --
click here for
that story.)
Regarding
the 24
abstentions,
he said you'd
have to ask
those
countries.
Inner City
Press did ask
a
representative
of Slovenia
for that
Misssion's
position and
will publish
it upon
receipt.
Many
delegates
emerged from
the General
Assembly
midday on
Monday with
two
competing swag
bags. Is
Slovenia
alleging more
than that?
(c) UN Photo
Ban
Ki-moon greets
Azerbaijan,
misconduct
allegations
not shown
Forgotten
now
are
Kyrgyzstan's
purple bag,
and
Mauritania's
framed picture
of
birds.
Numerous
insiders
of the
Security
Council noted
that the
current head
of Security
Council
Affairs is
from Armenia;
what impact if
any that might
have
won't be known
until January.
As they say at
the UN, they
are all
international
civil
servants.
Watch this
site.
, 
