On
Sri Lanka,
Swire Silent
on What UK
Does in UNSC
or UNHRC
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 7 --
In the run-up
to the UK's
controversial
attendance in
Sri
Lanka at
the
Commonwealth
Heads of
Government
Meeting,
minister of
state Hugo
Swire took
questions on
Twitter for
45 minutes
today.
They focused
on Sri Lanka
-- lack of
accountability
for war
crimes,
killing and
disappearance
of
journalists,
torture and
authoritarianism
-- as well as
the Maldives
and also
Somalia.
Swire
answered that
"we
consistently
call for an
independent,
thorough
& credible
investigation
into
allegations of
war crimes."
Inner
City Press asked
what if
anything the
UK has done
about this in
the
UN Security
Council,
where it has
one of five
Permanent
seats. Also,
since the UK
is "running"
for a seat on
the UN Human
Rights
Council, Inner
City Press asked
what the UK
would or will
do there on
Sri Lanka
issues.
The
reality is
that the UK is
running on a
"clean slate"
with
no
competition.
Like some
other
"candidates,"
it will
essentially be
automatically
elected.
Perhaps it's
for that
reason
that Swire did
not answer the
Human Rights
Council -- or
UN Security
Council --
questions.
Swire
proffered an
answer on sexual
violence -- but
apparently not
to a follow-up
on how the UK
has spent its
funds.
Also
in the UN
Security
Council, the
UK "has the
pen" on
Somalia. But
contrary to
what happened
when two
journalists
were
killed in Mali
this month and
the Security
Council
quickly issued
a
press
statement
condemning it,
the Council
does not do
this when
Somali
journalists
are killed.
Why not? This
question
has yet to be
answered.
Swire
was asked,
given the
cancellations
of elections
in Maldives,
if they
will be seated
at the CHOGM.
No one, it
seems, asked
about The
Gambia,
quitting the
Commonwealth
(and
reportedly
being evicted
from
office space
of
Commonwealth
members in New
York).
Like
many UK
diplomats,
Swire has the
hashtag
#DigitalDiplomacy
in his
profile. He
did answer
some questions
on Thursday,
but it is
unclear
what will
happen with
those he chose
not to answer.
Watch this
site.
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