At
UN
on Kosovo, Muted Talk of Organ Probe, How Statement Was Passed Out
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 12 -- After Kosovo
Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj spoke
in the UN Security Council on Thursday, Russian Ambassador Vitaly
Churkin said his statement should not have been distributed as he was
only speaking in his “personal capacity.”
Afterward
Churkin
told Inner City Press now that the Council had been “put on
notice,” next time he would rip up the Kosovo minister's statement
if it was distributed in the same way.
“Only his own
copy, I hope,” a Western diplomat told Inner City Press, commenting
that the Kosovo debate had been surprisingly muted, other than
disagreements on who should investigate allegations of organ trading
by Kosovo's prime minister Thaci and “Distribution-Gate.”
Inner
City Press
asked both Hoxhaq and UN Kosovo envoy Lamerto Zannier about
Distribution-Gate. Hoxhaj wouldn't comment on it and Zannier rolled
his eyes. He told the Press that the OSCE top post he has applied
for will be decided before the end of June.
Hoxhaq
said he was
surprised that Serbia would distrust the investigative powers of
EULEX of the European Union, while trying to join the EU.
Enver Hoxhaj, response on statement tear-up threat not shown
Inner City
Press asked Hoxhaq to respond to Serbian foreign minister Vuk
Jeremic's argument that EULEX does not have justidiction in countries
it would need to investigate, for example where the organ were
purchased.
EULEX
is not only
27 countries, Hoxhaq said. But that is the EU membership.
Jeremic
never came
to the stakeout to take questions. It is degenerated to this. Watch
this site.
* * *
At
UN,
Araud
of France Says Russia Has Not Raised Kosovo Organ Trade
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May
3 -- Russian foreign minister Sergey
Lavrov
has said
publicly that Russia will support Serbia's request that the UN
Security Council take up the reports of organ trafficking in Kosovo,
including
by
Kosovar prime minister Thaci.
But
the Security
Council's president for May, Gerard Araud of France, told the press
on Tuesday that when he asked member states during his consultations
with them on Monday about the issue, none of them said they would
pursue it.
After
Araud's
briefing,
Inner City Press asked another diplomat from the French
mission about Lavrov's statement.
Yes,
he
said that,
the diplomat acknowledged. But Ambassador Araud “said what he
said.” We'll see. A Council debate on Kosovo is slated for May 12.
Also
during
his
beginning of the month briefing, Araud was asked about the first Council
action of May, the presidential statement saying that Osama
Bin Laden will not be able to commit or organize acts terrorism
anymore.
Araud
answered
about
another proposed phrase, he said about “the death of
Gaddafi.” He laughed and called this a Freudian slip.
Araud faces press, naivete not shown
He
also called
Council consultations “boring,” saying that member states simply
read speeches. He speculated that journalists don't know this,
since they are “naive.” Following what he called France's
victory during its last presidency in February 2010, the use of
Council members' first names, he said he would push for more
interactivity.
Araud
was
not
asked -- yet -- about Cote d'Ivoire and the mandate of the UN mission
there.
Footnote:
Inner
City
Press asked Araud questions about Sudan
and Sri Lanka,
which it will separately report on. Watch this site.
, 
