As NPT
Fails, US
Calls Egypt
“Unrealistic,”
Reuters Says
She Didn't
Name Egypt
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, May
22, updated --
After four
weeks of
Non-Proliferation
Treaty talks
at the UN in
New York, and
after a draft
final document
was
distributed
past midnight,
on May 22 US
Under
Secretary of
State Rose
Gottemoeller
said in the UN
General
Assembly Hall
that there was
no agreement
on the
document and
that Egypt had
been
“unrealistic”
She said, on
UNTV, that the
US attempted
to work with
Egypt, but “in
particular
Egypt were not
willing to let
go of
unrealistic
and unworkable
condition
included in
the draft
text.”
A few speakers
later --
Canada, the UK
and the
Marshall
Islands --
Iran asked for
the meeting to
be suspended.
Inner City
Press ran to
the GA
entrance; on
the way a
Western
diplomat
complained to
it that Iran's
suspension
might
jeopardize the
ability of
countries to
give their
speeches
(about
failure.) This
diplomat,
unprompted,
said that the
US attack on
Egypt was
irregular.
In front of
the GA, Inner
City Press
asked
Austria's
Ambassador
Alexander
Kmentt, who
said the UN
calling out
Egypt was
“surprising.”
Video
here.
After this,
the Reuters
wire service's
Louis
Charbonneau
ran a piece
-- photo here
--
claiming that
“Gottemoeller
did not name
any countries
but diplomats
said she was
referring to
Egypt.”
Apparently
Reuters, at
least at the
UN, does not
even watch on
UNTV the
meetings it
“reports” on,
preferring to
cite unnamed
“diplomats”
for things
that were said
in public, on
TV. Or
too busy censoring,
for example
blocking from
Google copies
of its
anti-Press
complaints?
Update:
after the
meeting ended
and after this
report,
Reuters tried
to erase its
error by
calling it an
update - but
even after US
Robert Wood
said at the GA
stakeout,
"Egypt is to
blame,"
Reuters faux
reported that
a "senior
Western
diplomat" said
that. This is
Reuters, at
least at the
UN -- for the
Thomson
Reuters
versions they
said "(Adds
Western
diplomat, U.S.
quotes)" --
that is, adds
US quotes that
Reuters-UN
initially said
didn't exist
despite having
been on UNTV.
The
meeting ended
five minutes
after nine,
with a
statement that
no agreement
had been
reached. Then
the EU asked
to speak, and
did.
Outside
at the (non
UNTV)
stakeout, US
Robert Wood
said, twice, Egypt
is to blame.
One wag - this
one - asked,
What about the
Apache
helicopters?
It was over.
The US
put out the
statement: "We
attempted to
work with
other
delegations—in
particular,
Egypt and
other Arab
League
states—to
improve the
text; but a
number of
these states,
and in
particular
Egypt, were
not willing to
let go of
these
unrealistic
and unworkable
conditions
included in
the draft
text."
Here now is a
fast
transcript of
Egypt's speech
in the GA:
Egypt
associates
itself with
the statement
of the Arab
Group and NAM.
Egypt
is
disappointed
at the end of
this
conference,
after a month
of diligent
work. We are
blocked from
strengthening
the NPT and
the goal of a
world free of
nuclear
weapons by 3
delegations.
We are
concerned wit
the
negative
messages we
have been
receiving on
the
implementation
of a middle
east nuclear
free zone.
It is
a sad day for
the NPT, a sad
day for the
1995
resolution,
and a sad day
in moving
forward.
As we
and many
parties in the
Arab Group and
NAM have said,
we have come
to look
forward, not
to look
backward. Yet
this approach
and spirit has
not been
reciprocated.
Even taking
the right step
forward in the
right
direction in a
thousand mile
march has been
blocked.
Some
countries are
not satisfied
except by
obstructing.
Nothing in the
paper you
presented
affects
negatively any
of the member
states of the
NPT and their
interests.
Egypt and the
Arab Group
have
cooperated to
the fullest
with you. Most
of the papers
that were
tabled were
commended by
Egypt, and let
me, here
commend
Russia, let me
salute them
for their
leadership in
trying to move
the process
forward.
Blocking
reflects the
abuse of the
concept of
consensus. A
few states,
especially the
United states,
have stopped
this document
from moving
forward. This
will have
consequences
in the Arab
world in terms
of public
opinion.
It is
now clear it
is no
coincidence we
are being
blocked again.
Even as Russia
assumed
leadership
with a middle
of the road
compromise,
this approach
was blocked.
The moment of
truth has
come. By
blocking this
consensus we
are depriving
the middle
east of a
better future,
away from the
horrors of
nuclear
weapons.
We’ve heard
one delegation
deflecting the
blame,
referring
specifically
to Egypt. We
would advise
this
delegation to
reflect more
and feel the
consequences…
, 
