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At
UN, Russia Finalizes Georgia
Draft As Sarkozy's Add-On Points Are At Issue
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED
NATIONS, August 21 -- Amid
reports of Russian troops "laying siege" to the Georgian port of
Poti, at the UN on Thursday Russia finalized its draft Security Council
resolution, saying it could be voted on in 24 hours. U.S. Ambassador
Alejandro
Wolff indicated that the U.S. could not support, and would veto, the
Russian draft,
which mirrors the six point agreement French president Nicolas Sarkozy
reached
with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on August 12.
The trick is, Sarkozy purported to "clarify" his
agreement
with Medvedev in August 14 letter to Georgian president Mikhail
Saakashvili, to
which Sarkozy went on to add three points. Inner
City Press asked French Ambassador
Jean-Pierre Lacroix if Russia had agreed to the three added-on point,
and to
explain the discepancy about the security zone, whether it is around
the whole
of South Ossetia or only by the capital, Tskhinvali, and who long these
"provisional" measures can last. Lacroix answered only the last of
the three points, saying the provision means until the OSCE and
possibly EU, of
which France currently has the presidency, establish the "international
mechanism" referred to in the fifth of the six points.
While the document handed to Inner City Press
Thursday at the stakeout
begins, "The Presidency of the Republic [of France], for the sake of
transparency, wished to make public the letter," afterwards numerous
reporters and even senior diplomats in the Security Council asked Inner
City
Press for copies of Sarkozy's letter.
Inner City Press made copies, for the sake of
France's transparency.
Vitaly Churkin at UN, Sarkozy's 3 add-on
points not shown
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin
was asked
about the events at Poti, but did not answer. The biggest question was
whether
Russia will, in fact, call a vote on its resolution on Friday. As
drafted, it
appears sure to be vetoed. But if the Sarkozy letter -- but not added
points --
were made an appendix, could it pass? Would a mere reference to old
resolutions,
which in turn mention territorial integrity, suffice for the U.S.,
France and
UK?
Inner City Press asked Amb. Churkin point-blank if
it is fair to say
Sarkozy pulled a bait and switch, proffering an agreement which did not
mention
territorial integrity but did say final status was be negotiated, then
calling
to drop the reference to status and later saying that territorial
integrity, it
went without saying. Video here.
Watch
this
site. And this (on
South Ossetia), and
this --
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