UK's
Month Had
Q&A,
Hamlet, Tiffs
With Syria,
Zim &
Libya, Power
Moves, River
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 28 --
The UK's month
as President
of the UN
Security
Council
President has
more
question-and-answer
stakeouts than
is the norm,
also more
emergency
meetings --
and, uniquely,
a presentation
of Hamlet in
the
Trusteeship
Council
Chamber.
Their
end of
presidency
reception,
overlooking
the FDR Drive
and East River
on August 28,
featured
discussion of
Ukraine, Syria
and US
President
Barack Obama's
tan suit
earlier in the
day, and
diplomats'
tension for
the upcoming
General
Assembly
ministerial
week.
Hours
before,
Russian
Ambassador
Vitaly Churkin
said in the
Council
chamber that
while the UK's
month had many
things “not
correct,” they
had worked
hard. The
latter was
indisputable.
When
Permanent
Representative
Mark Lyall
Grant couldn't
summarize a
consultation
or read out a
Press
Statement at
the stakeout,
his deputy
Peter Wilson
did. They took
questions,
they sent out
transcripts of
what was asked
and answered.
The UK
considers
itself a
leader on
Darfur, but as
its month atop
the Council
ends it is
still not
clear if
cover-ups by
the UNAMID
mission won't
continue. The
issue wasn't
sufficiently
addressed, it
seems, in the
mandate
renewal
resolution the
UK shepherded
through.
There
were a few
kerfufels in
the chamber:
not only
Syrian
Permanent
Representative
Bashar
Ja'afari being
cut off while
speaking, of
which the UK
might be
proud, but a
speeding along
of Zimbabwe
and a failure
to seat
Libya's
Ibrahim
Dabbashi at
the Council
table before
voting on the
Council's
Libya
resolution,
for both of
which the UK
apologized.
What
role did the
UK and its
envoy Jonathan
Powell play in
the switch in
UN envoy from
Tarek Mitri to
Bernardino
Leon? Inner
City Press
would still
like to know.
But
spokesperson
Iona Thomas
provided
comment on
issues ranging
from freedom
of the press
in Somalia to
#BringBackOurGirls
in Nigeria.
The UK
ran a hybrid
Council trip
to Europe,
South Sudan
and Somalia;
from Inner
City Press'
and the Free
UN Coalition
for Access'
perspective,
there could
have been more
follow up on
the troubling
crackdown on
reporters in
South Sudan,
including most
recently even
a staffer of
UNMISS public
affairs.
To the
UK's credit,
it followed
Rwanda's lead
and made its
wrap-up
session
public. In it,
interestingly,
Argentina
spoke about
the sanctions
due process
ombudsperson,
and Jordan
called for
less
grandstanding
or
“showcasing”
on Council
meetings.
(Lyall Grant
laughed and
indicated it
would be hard
to prevent
that.)
* * *
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