ICP
Asks ROK FM of
Link of Test
to SC
Presidency,
“We Can
Guess,” He
Says
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 12 –
When South
Korean foreign
minister Kim
Sung-hwan
finally
emerged from
two hours of
closed door
meetings
about North
Korea's
nuclear test
and read a
press
statement, he
agreed to take
a few
questions.
Inner
City Press
asked about
the elephant
in the
consultations
room,
whether South
Korea thinks
or
acknowledges
that the
timing of the
nuclear test
is related to
its new
membership on
the Security
Council
and especially
its presidency
this month.
“We
can guess,”
Kim Sung-hwan
replied. Then
he begged off
further
questions,
saying
(accurately)
that the
non-Council
members had
been
left waiting
for an hour
for the start
of all-day
open debate of
Protection of
Civilians.
US
Ambassador
Susan Rice
also came out
to the
stakeout; her
spokesperson
chose two
questions,
from CBS and
Kyoto News.
Rice said that
North
Korea will
face a swift
response by
way of a
Security
Council
resolution.
One
wanted to ask
Rice if SHE
thinks the
North Korea
test is tied
in time
to South
Korea's
Security
Council
presidency, or
might impact
on
tonight's
State of the
Union speech
by President
Obama.
Or if she has
finally seen
the North
Korean video
of the
dreaming boy,
the missile
and New York
in flames.
Maybe next
time.
The
Council's 15
members began
their closed
door
consultations
at 9 am.
On the way in,
some gave quotes, click
here for
that Inner
City Press
story. But
when 10 am,
the time for
the Protection
of Civilians
debate
arrived, they
were not
finished.
They
“suspended”
from 10:20 to
10:30 am, then
continued to
11 am. Ivory
Coast
Permanent
Representative
Bamba left,
stopping to
tell
Inner City
Press
sarcastically,
“This is much
more important
than Mali.”
One
wag analogized
it to kids at
a children's
table, served
small
hamburgers and
chocolate milk
while the
adults talk
about adult
things in a
smaller closed
room. But that
is the UN.
Watch this
site.
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