On
Ukraine, NZ
Wants More
“Purposeful”
UNSC
Engagement,
Including
Behind Closed
Doors
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Country by
Country
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 21 --
Three weeks
into a two
year UN Security
Council term,
New Zealand's
Permanent
Representative
Jim McLay on
Wednesday
offered a
criticism,
however
diplomatic, to
the Council's
work on
Ukraine.
After speeches
by his US
counterpart
Samantha Power
and Russia's
Vitaly
Churkin, among
others, McLay
said that “we
believe the
Security
Council must
live up to its
responsibility
under the UN
Charter. This
Council met in
2014 no fewer
than 27 times
to discuss the
situation in
the Ukraine.
So far we've
seen very
little impact
from all this
high level
attention.”
“And so it
is,” McLay
continued,
“that at this
meeting number
28, New
Zealand
affirms that
this Council
is properly
seized of this
matter and it
calls for a
more
purposeful
Council
engagement
with a real
focus upon
supporting
efforts for
negotiation a
solution to
this conflict.
Only then we
will see
tangible
outcomes for
those most
affected, the
people of
Eastern
Ukraine.”
When
Ambassador McLay
left the
Security
Council
chamber, this
reporter asked
him what he
meant about
this “more
purposeful
Council
engagement” on
a topic which
has devolved
into little
but accusatory
speeches.
McLay stopped
and replied,
“I'd prefer to
leave that
until we have
some closed
consultations.”
He added of
the day's
Council
meeting on
Ukraine, “It
was going to
be in private,
then some said
it's going to
be in public.
We didn't
object to
that, but as
you and I both
know...” His
voice trailed
off.
In the open
meeting,
Russia's
Churkin said
that “at the
beginning of
today's
meeting we
were supposed
to have closed
consultations
to actually
take a look at
whether or not
the Security
Council could
makes it
contribution
to settling
the Ukrainian
crisis.
However the
delegation of
the United
States waved
its hand and,
no.”
Could taking
at least part
of the
Security
Council's
meetings about
Ukraine behind
closed doors,
where
negotiation or
at least more
direct talk is
possible, be a
New Zealand
contribution
to the
Council's
work? Watch
this site.
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