By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 16, more
here -- As
the UN General
Assembly Hall
filled for the
annual
election of UN
Security
Council
members, the largest
entourage
passing the GA
stakeout was
that of Turkey,
photo
here, for
its face-off
with Spain and
New Zealand
for two seats.
Inner City
Press polled
diplomats
about their
votes -- there
were more
laughs
than candid
answers --
then headed up
to the
photographers'
booth over the
GA floor. All
was well
until the
President of
the GA said to
not take
photos as
countries cast
their ballots.
So they can
tell you what
to photograph?
On behalf of
the Free
UN Coalition
for Access,
Inner City
Press challenged
the policy,
tweeting a
photograph of
the desks
below,
complete with
New Zealand's
swag bag.
UN Media
Accreditation
and Liaison
came in and
told Inner
City Press to
leave the
booth, it was
only for "wire
services." But
MALU has no
definition of
wire service,
as another
FUNCA member
has long
pointed out.
And the spot
Inner City
Press was
ousted from
was given to
the UN's
in-house photo
service. This
is today's UN.
On the eve of
the vote at
the UN to
elect five new
members to the
Security
Council, one
of the
candidates in
the contested
race, Turkey,
held a reception
at the Waldorf
Astoria Hotel.
Numerous
diplomats
milling around
the Starlight
Roof Ballroom
marveled to
Inner City
Press at
Turkey's
bombing of the
PKK while
across the
border Kobane
is under
siege. But
even most of
these
predicted that
Turkey would
win a seat,
citing the
OIC, the
Organization
of Islamic
Cooperation
and its 57
votes.
Introduced by
Turkish
Ambassador
Halit Cevik,
Foreign
Minister
Mevlut
Cavusoglu
thanked those
in attendance,
singling out
his Spanish
counterpart,
then gave a
short speech.
He said,
"Peace at
home, peace in
the world,"
which some
found ironic.
But again,
that
prediction.
Turkey's swag
bag, on the
way out of the
Waldoft,
contained an
Istanbul
thermos, compared
to New
Zealand's UN
Handbook,
writing book
and pen.
Four weeks
after New
Zealand
released its
UN Handbook
and talked up
its race
against Spain
and Turkey for
two seats on
the UN
Security
Council, on
October 10
Inner City
Press ran into
a familiar
face in the UN
pressing the
Kiwis' cause:
Jose
Ramos-Horta.
After winning
the Nobel
Peace Prize -
today given to
Malala
Yousafzai and
Kailash
Satyarthi -
Ramos Horta
served the UN
most recently
as envoy to
Guinea Bissau.
Ramos Horta
greeted Inner
City Press on
October 10 on
the second
floor of the
UN Conference
Building,
outside the
General
Assembly's
meeting on
Ebola. After
some
pleasantries,
Inner City
Press asked,
What brings
you through
the UN?
Ramos Horta
replied that
he is lobbying
for New
Zealand to win
a Security
Council seat.
Asked about
Turkey, he
rolled his
eyes, citing
Erdogan.
Others have
wondered how
the (in)
action in
Kobane may
impact
Turkey's
chances.
Anyway the
area outside
the Security
Council has
already been
cleared of
journalists
and called the
"Turkish
Lounge."
In
the October 16
election,
which of the
three will be
left out?
Two
years ago
it was
Finland, whose
Permanent
Representative
gave Inner
City Press an
inflated
vote count of
165 on the eve
of the
election.
This has
become urban
legend and now
no one makes
predictions.
But there is
spin.
New
Zealand is a
small country,
but one which
can relate to
outsiders like
Eritrea. The
last time they
were on the
Council, they
spoke up for
Rwanda. They
fought a war
with Turkey,
which has led
to a bond.
Still, the
Kiwis were
surprised when
Turkey jumped
into what
would have
been a “clean
slate” with
Spain.
There
should have
been no
surprise:
Turkey feels
itself a
rising power,
they paid for
and branded
the area
outside the
Security
Council,
previously
open to the
press, into a
“Turkish
Lounge.”
But how will
their crackdowns
inside Turkey,
and now
reticence to
join up with
Obama's
coalition
against ISIS
play?
For
the European
Union, could
the live with
both Western
European and
Other Group
seats going to
non-EU
members? Then
again, it is
pointed out,
the EU spans
three UN
regional
groups: WEOG,
Eastern Europe
and even the
Asia Pacific
Group, through
Cyprus. So how
could the UN
tell its
members how to
vote? The
election's set
for October
16.
In the
next contested
WEOG race in
2016 it's
slated to be
Sweden, the
Netherlands
and Italy; in
2018 it'll be
Belgium,
Israel and
Germany. Inner
City Press --
and as regards
press freedom
issues, the Free UN Coalition for Access -- will be
covering these
and other
races: Fiji
and Malaysia
this time; in
2016, Kenya
versus
Seychelles,
Thailand
versus
Kazakhstan. In
2017, Kuwait
and Yemen face
off; in 2018,
Maldives and
Indonesia.
Watch this
site, and this one.
Footnote:
At
least since
1961, New
Zealand has
produced a UN
Handbook. Its
new one was
unveiled on
September 12
at the
country's UN
mission on
Third Avenue,
in hardcopy
and a smart
phone app.
There was
Chardonnay and
schmoozing, a
handbook-themed
chocolate bar
(hopefully not
bad karma,
after
Finland's
Martti bar);
and previously
copies of the
handbook. The
1961 edition
listed the UN
General
Assembly's
“Committee for
the
Unification
and
Rehabilitation
of Korea,
UNCURK.” Plus
ca
change.
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