As
Ashe Says
Group of 6
Won't Draft,
France for G4
Says It
Will, G77 on
TV
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 7 --
From speeches
on UN Security
Council reform
given Thursday
morning, the
archeology of
the last two
weeks could be
made out.
President of
the General
Assembly John
Ashe named a
Group
of Six
advisers.
His letter did
not go online;
Inner City
Press
published
it first.
(His office
said that was
a snafu not to
be
repeated.)
Ashe's
Group of Six
and their
mandate drew criticism
from United
for
Consensus
(conveyed by
Italy), the
Arab Group
(conveyed by
Bahrain),
the Eastern
European Group
(conveyed in
person) and by
China.
Inner
City Press published
all three
letters.
It
emerged that
Ashe on
November 6
tried to
assuage UfC by
saying that,
contrary to
statements by
Brazil and
Germany in the
Security
Council
debate on
Working
Methods, the
Group of Six
will neither
negotiate
nor draft.
Ashe repeated
this on
Thursday
morning.
Still,
French Deputy
Permanent
Representative
said France
looks forward
to
the Advisory
Group
drafting.
India's Deputy
Permanent
Representative
insists the
UfC represents
a minority,
spoilers. But
what about the
Arab Group?
What about
China?
Algeria's
Permanent
Representative
made a point
of order,
saying that
Egypt
misstated the
Arab Group
position.
Among
those also
said to still
be
"mis-interpreting"
the mandate
of Ashe's
Group of Six
are Saint
Kitts and
Nevis for L69,
and
("partially")
Guyana for
Caricom. The
speeches will
continue
Thursday
afternoon.
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
Across
the hall in
the UN's North
Lawn building
on Thursday
morning,
Bolivia became
the head of
the Group of
77 for 2014,
as Inner City
Press reported
on Wednesday.
The meeting,
which G77
asked to be on
UNTV, was
delayed
because UNTV
still showed
it as closed.
The
Free
UN
Coalition for
Access @FUNCA_info asked why, after
the delay hit
half an hour.
It
subsequently
went on UNTV
and FUNCA
offered thanks
-- as
well as a
photograph.
This is how
problems get
fixed in real
time. If only
Security
Council reform
were this straight
forward. FUNCA
will
continue.
, 
