As
South
Korea Hands
DPRK Hot
Potato to
Russia, France
Won't Say
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 28 –
As South
Korea's month
as President
of the UN
Security
Council comes
to an end, no
Council
resolution
about North
Korea's
February 12
nuclear test
was adopted.
Rather on
Thursday
afternoon
Inner City
Press watched
as South
Korean
staffers
carried out of
the
Council a
small
refrigerator,
tea makers,
cups and
saucers,
plants.
Throughout
the
month, while
North Korean
diplomats did
not come to
the Security
Council, Inner
City Press
observed them
meeting and
speaking with
mid-level
diplomats of
non-Permanent
Security
Council
members:
working it.
As
South Korean
Permanent
Representative
Kim Sook left
on Thursday,
Inner City
Press asked
him if he had
left the “hot
potato” of
North Korea
behind inside
the Council
for the
incoming
Russian
presidency.
He laughed
then grew more
serious. He
said:
“the
February 12
nuclear test
by NK is
something
condemnable
and we were
reminded that
we need to put
up with the
significant
measures and
we're in the
process of
negotiation on
the language
on the
resolution. I
think the
press may have
to wait a few
more days to
be
able to see
the outcome in
this. But
today I say
that the
content of
the resolution
is more
important than
the speed and
the pace that
we
are making.
One thing I
appreciate is
both sides, US
and China are
very serious.
They have not
yet reached to
the point
where we have
something
tangible but
it does not
mean they are
doing some
sort of
tactical tug
of war. They
are not doing
that, they are
very serious.
They are in
agreement with
the fact that
North Korea
should pay the
price and in
what manner
and how much
should the
payment be,
it's a
degree out
there still
and they are
still talking.
The Republic
of
Korea is one
of the direct
concerned
parties and
we're in
closed
consultations
with those
members of the
Security
Council.”
There
has been some
criticism of
the US -
Chinese
domination of
the issue,
but none of it
on the record.
To the
ever-present
and
hard-working
J-squad, both
the UK and
France spoke
Thursday
morning.
UK
Ambassador
Mark Lyall
Grant said,
“the nuclear
test on the
12th of
February and
that there had
been an
immediate
response
promising that
there would be
a strong,
robust
response to
come and we
knew that
delegations
were working
on that and we
hope that
something
strong
will be
adopted very
shortly. I
think more or
less everyone
referred
to that."
He
was asked,
“Are
negotiations
still in
bi-laterals
between China
and
the US?
Lyall
Grant replied,
“Well there's
a number of
different
discussions
going on I
don't want to
go into
details on
that. But
clearly we
hope
that they will
come into
fruition very
quickly."
French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud
said, of the
morning's
wrap-up
session,
"everybody
brought up
North Korea
saying that we
have to move
forward on a
resolution as
quickly as
possible."
When
Araud was
asked about if
he had seen a
text he
replied,
smiling, "I
am not going
to tell you."
And so it goes
at the UN.
, 
