Colombia's
Osorio to Head
ECOSOC, Cabral
& Sangqu
Leave, Hardeep
Retires
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 29 --
When countries
leave the UN
Security
Council
after their
two year
terms, often
they empty out
their Missions
in
New York:
staffing-down,
it's called.
But
Colombia,
which left the
Council on
December 31
along with
India,
Germany,
Portugal and
South Africa,
may be the
exception. Its
Permanent
Representative
Nestor Osorio
was elected on
January 28 as
the president
for this year
of the UN
Economic and
Social
Council.
Osorio
had already
told Inner
City Press
that he would
be staying in
New
York. By
contrast,
Portugal is
sending its
Permanent
Representative
Cabral to
become
Ambassador to
France, and
won't be
sending a
replacement to
New York until
April.
South
Africa is
sending its
Permanent
Representative
Baso Sangqu to
represent them
at the African
Union in Addis
Ababa;
political
coordinator
Zaheer Laher
is headed back
to South
Africa.
India's
Hardeep Singh
Puri is
retiring next
month, he's
told Inner
City
Press.
While
Germany's
Peter Wittig
was seen last
week rushing
into a
Security
Council
debate, this
time as a
non-member, it
was telling
that he had
his Deputy
Miguel Berger
take the chair
of the Fifth
Committee, a
post meant for
Permanent
Representatives.
Of
the Departed
Five, Osorio
is the one who
got a high
post at the UN
in
New York. Who
woulda thunk
it? Watch this
site.
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