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UN Mission in Georgia Faces
October 15 End, Kosovo Precedent Looms, Ban is Missing Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis UNITED
NATIONS, August 26 -- As
the declarations of independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia were
recognized
Tuesday by Russia, at the UN the question of Kosovo as precedent
repeatedly
arose. Inner City Press asked the Ambassador of France, whose President
by
offering Russia talks on the "status" of the two areas can be
included for better or worse as the father of two countries, if he
could
meaningfully distinguish the case of Kosovo.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix's answer was
largely procedural, that Kosovo was administered by the UN for more
than ten
years, that there was a peace process which did not include one state
changing
the frontiers of its neighbors. Video here,
from Minute 5:57. But the UN Mission in
Georgia has been in
Abkhazia for more than ten years, since 1993. And many observers see
Kosovo as
an extension of Albania, independent in name only.
Inner City Press put the same question to Georgian
Ambassador Irakli
Alasania. He responded, tellingly, that Georgia has not recognized
Kosovo's
unilateral declaration of independence. Video here,
from Minute 26:11. Inner
City Press asked if Georgia will join Serbia's request that the UN
General
Assembly next month vote to request an advisory opinion from the
International
Court of Justice about the legality of recognizing such unilateral
declarations
of independence. Alasania did not reject the idea, instead saying that
Georgia
is firmly for territorial integrity and will judge on that principle.
So it
appears Georgia will at least be voting for Serbia's ICJ resolution.
In fact, Alasania's plea on Tuesday sounded
remarkably similar to recent
statements by Serbian foreign minister Vuk Jeremic, who said Serbia
does not
recognize any independence of "our province of Kosovo." Alasania said
Georgia remains "de jure" in
control, regardless of its expulsion
from the two zones.
On the topic of expulsion, it seems clear that the
UN Mission in
Georgia, UNOMIG, will be expelled from Abkhazia, as UNMEE was from
Eritrea, at latest when UNOMIG's mandate
expires on October 15. One cannot help but
notice that even before the deployment to UNOMIG of Johan
Verbeke, who so recently fled Lebanon, the Mission is on death's
door. (One wag asked, to where will Verbeke be sent next -- UNAMID in
Darfur?)
When Inner City
Press asked Alasania about UNOMIG, Alasania said it retains "all
international
credentials" and that it is a "useful tool to monitor."
But if Russia can veto the extension of its
mandate, what future does it have? Inner
City Press asked Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, who said given the
"new political situation," Russia will be having "discussions
with the UN observers." Video here,
from Minute 22:37.
In fact, both Churkin and Alasania met with UN
Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon on Tuesday. Churkin said chastely that he does not disclose his
conversations with Ban. Inner City Press and other reporter stood
outside the
Secretary-General's monthly luncheon with the Security Council later on
Tuesday, hoping to ask Ban for his views on these questions. All of the Ambassadors came by, commenting on
the food and conversation. But no Ban. It turns out he left by a side
exit. The
menu, we can report, included wild mushroom risotto, plantain-crusted
mahi mahi
with carmelized hearts of palm and seasonal fruit with vanilla yoghurt
sauce.
Whether Ban will take any questions on the topic before he heads to
Turin and
Spain is not known. Watch
this
site. And this (on
South Ossetia),
this, on
Russia-Georgia,
and
this -- |
