In
PGA
Race, Jeremic
Tells Inner
City Press to
Expect Plenary
Vote, Opposes
Two on G4,
NAM Card Ready
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 27 --The
Security
Council was
meeting about
the Middle
East Tuesday
morning when
the man who
would be the
next President
of
the General
Assembly
stopped by the
stakeout and
spoke with
Inner
City Press.
Serbia's
foreign
minister Vuk
Jeremic has
been
campaigning,
including most
recently
around New
York meeting
on the
Alliance of
Civilizations,
as has the
Permanent
Representative
of Lithuania
which played
and then
withdrew a
card at the
OSCE and has
argued that
Serbia is
trying to jump
the line, and
that Jeremic
does not, but
should, speak
Russian.
This was
an exclusive
interview with
Jeremic,
conducted in
English.
Jeremic
began with the
argument the
Lithuania is
getting or at
least seeking
too many
position as
once. Jeremic
said the
Lithuania's
"position is
next to
impossible. In
five years,
they did
ECOSOC, they
want the
PGA, and to
join the
Security
Council." He
paused and
added by
comparison,
"Germany can't
have this."
At
last week's
Pakistan Day
event Inner
City Press was
pitched with a
counter
argument, that
smaller
countries
might want to
bundle their
positions
they get so
that they can
bulk up their
mission to the
UN all at one
time, and
otherwise
conserve
resources.
Inner City
Press asked
Jeremic about
this argument
and he
laughed. "We
can do the
Security
Council too if
they
insist,"he
said.
It
has been
argued
to Inner City
Press that
Jeremic is far
less than a
majority in
the
Eastern
European
group, but
since they
don't have
rules for
voting in
the group, he
can push it to
the General
Assembly
plenary and
there,
it was argued,
"play the card
of NAM," the
Non Aligned
Movement.
Inner City
Press asked
Jeremic about
this.
On
the decision
moving to the
full General
Assembly he
said, "I think
it's
almost
inevitable.
Like GRULAC
[the Latin
America and
Caribbean
group] the
Eastern
European group
doesn't take
votes, for a
very
specific
historical
reasons. We do
it be
consensus or
take it to the
plenary," the
full GA.
Would
Serbia as
argued "play
the NAM card,"
even as they
apply for
European
Union
membership?
Jeremic
laughed.
"Who
wouldn't?" he
asked. "We
organize the
largest NAM
conference in
history, by
number of
attendees,
last year in
Belgrade."
Beyond
the horse
race aspect,
Inner City
Press asked
Jeremic about
Security
Council
reform. He
replied that
the Security
Council "has
to be
changed, it
has to get
bigger
representation."
He said that
Serbia "hasn't
supp the G-4,"
consisting of
India, Brazil,
Germany and
Japan.
Jeremic
said, "we
have two good
friends in G-4
and two people
who are not
exactly
helpful who
are in the
G-4.. Serbia
is going to
decide based
on its
national
interest. We
have only one
thing in the
Security
Council,
and we consult
with those who
support us.
Who wouldn't?"
Who
indeed.
Previously
along
with
arguments,
directly
Q&A with
the Lithuanian
Permanent
Representative
had been
proffered and
we hope to
conduct and
run it
soon. Watch
this site.
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