UN
Ban
Punts on
Tahiti Call to
End
Colonialism by
France, Quiet
Diplomacy?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 7 --
One of the
UN's high
points was
de-colonialization,
but under
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon those
days are
apparently
over. Ban
traveled to a
meeting in New
Zealand
at which
colony Tahiti
Nui a/k/a
French
Polynesia
pushed, with
support of
Pacific Island
states, to be
included on
the agenda of
the
UN's committee
on
de-colonialization.
One
would think
this would be
a no-brainer
for Ban
Ki-moon, given
the UN's
historic
role in at
least
ostensibly
ending
colonialism,
for example
Adrian
Pelt's role in
pre-Gaddafi
Libya.
So
on September 7
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's new
Deputy
Spokesman
Eduardo del
Buey
for Ban's
position on
Tahiti Nui's
request:
Inner
City
Press: one of
the other
controversies
there had to
do with
French
Polynesia, a
move by French
Polynesia, to
become listed
on the
UN
decolonization
list taken up
by the Fourth
Committee. And
since
the UN has
historically
had such a big
role in
decolonization,
I
wondered, did
he hear about
that while he
was there?
Does he have
any view [on]
that territory
wants to be
put on the
decolonization
list?
Spokesman
del Buey
once again
said "I will
have to find
out and get
back to you on
that." During
the rest of
the day on
September 7,
his office
did not call
or e-mail
Inner City
Press. Only
long after
close of
business was
an answer
inserted into
the UN's
transcript of
the noon
briefing:
[The
Deputy
Spokesperson
later said
that in his
press
conference in
Auckland, New
Zealand,
yesterday, the
Secretary-General
said that he
had listened
to the
concerns of
some leaders,
including
French
Polynesia,
concerning the
right of
self-determination.
The
Secretary-General
noted that it
is up to
Member States
voting in the
General
Assembly to
decide on the
re-listing or
delisting of
any
territory as
Non-Self-Governing
Territory.]
This
"saying"
was over an
internal
"squawk"
system which
is not heard
by
any journalist
covering, for
example, the
Security
Council. On
the
substance,
while Ban
touts his own
"quiet
diplomacy," to
not have have
a position on
de-colonialization,
one of the
UN's
signature
issues, is
questionable.
Ban &
Juppe, (de)
colonialism of
Tahiti Nui not
shown
Perhaps
in this
case it is the
pressure of
France, which
sent its
minister Alain
Juppe to New
Zealand to
argue against
de-colonialization.
It
was reported:
“For
a second time
in two weeks,
Marie-Luce
Penchard has
highlighted
that
French
Polynesia is
now the French
republic’s
most
autonomous
territory. She
also points
out that
France
transfers two
billion US
dollars a year
to Tahiti and
denounces
presenting
such a
privilege as
a colonial
relationship.
Her statement
follows a call
by the French
Polynesian
government to
end 170 years
of
colonisation
and last
month’s
assembly vote
on a
resolution to
be taken to
the Forum in
Auckland and
the UN in New
York. To
counter
Tahiti’s
lobbying, the
French foreign
minister,
Alain Juppe,
will join the
Forum leaders
in
Auckland.”
But
shouldn't
the head of
the UN have a
position on
the right to
self-determination?
Watch this
site.
, 
in