At the UN, Two Messages on Nuclear Korea, Chinese Call to Focus on Development

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, January 3 -- While this Thursday the UN said it would have no comment on North Korea missing the year-end deadline to disclose its nuclear programs, last Thursday according to South Korean news agency Yonhap, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a press conference that he is monitoring North Korea's nuclear ambitions and will consider a visit "at an appropriate time." As is sometimes alleged of Middle Eastern politicians, there might appear to be two different statements in two different language. Tellingly, perhaps, while the majority of the UN press corps was told that Mr. Ban would not hold any end-of-year press conference, according to Yonhap he held one -- presumably in Korean, exclusively for Korean media.

            At the January 3 noon briefing, Inner City Press asked

Inner City Press: North Korea had said in its process of denuclearization that it was going to fully disclose its nuclear facilities by the end of the year.  And apparently they didn't meet the deadline.  Does the Secretary-General or the Secretariat have any response to that?  Do they think that's unfortunate?  Fortunate?

Spokesperson:  You are talking about nuclear facilities.  This is in the hands of the IAEA.  There will not be a reaction on our side unless we get a report from the IAEA.

            But if the position is that North Korean nuclear questions are entirely up to the International Atomic Energy Agency, how to explain this quote from last week's Yonhap --

"Dec. 29 (Yonhap) -- United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said he will consider visiting North Korea at an appropriate time to help ease tensions in Northeast Asia from the North's nuclear weapons ambitions. 'I will consider the timing for it,' the first South Korean chief of the world body said in a news conference held Thursday to mark the first anniversary of his inauguration.. 'However, it is premature to talk about the visit to North Korea at this moment,' he said, noting the need to closely watch developments in inter-Korean relations and the ongoing multilateral talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions before making any decision."

            The reference to a "press conference held Thursday" December 28 came as a surprise to most UN correspondents, as they had been told that instead of any end of year press conference, Ban Ki-moon issued a one page statement including his airline mileage for the year. Even that, as it turned out, was a draft of an op-ed submitted to the Korea Times of December 25, under Ban Ki-moon's byline.

            At the Security Council stateout on January 3, Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya was asked to review Mr. Ban's first year. Amb. Wang said it had been good "for a newcomer," and spoke of Ban's "Asian style" as a "humble workaholic." Amb. Wang went on to say that he hoped that in his second year, Ban will shift his focus to the economic and social field.  This was a more diplomatic version of what many Ambassadors involved in last month's UN budget negotiations said, in explanation of refusing to support Ban's proposed strengthening of the Department of Political Affairs -- "not until he does DESA," one of the diplomats said.

Amb. Wang & S-G Ban in the Council, DESA & IAEA not shown
 

Two hours later at the noon briefing, Inner  City Press asked:

Inner City Press: Ambassador Wang had said that he hopes to see the Secretary-General in the coming year do similar reforms as he did to peacekeeping in the economic and social sphere.  Does Mr. Ban have plans in this year either to restructure DESA or somehow increase posts or funding?  What are his plans?

Spokesperson:  There is a reorganization plan being discussed right now on not only DESA but on other economic actors in the UN system.

Question:  Will that plan be presented in the [Fifth Committee in March]? What's the timeline?

Spokesperson:  At this point, only a preliminary one will be submitted in March.  I don't know exactly what the extent of the report will be.  It's not done yet.  It's being worked on.

            And perhaps, a UN correspondent remarked later that day, that's where some focus should be, on issues of stated concern to member states, such as strengthening the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and a bit less on media messages to a single country or peninsula...

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Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

  Because a number of Inner City Press' UN sources go out of their way to express commitment to serving the poor, and while it should be unnecessary, Inner City Press is compelled to conclude this installment in a necessarily-ongoing series by saluting the stated goals of the UN agencies and many of their staff. Keep those cards, letters and emails coming, and phone calls too, we apologize for any phone tag, but please continue trying, and keep the information flowing.

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