Nobel
to OPCW Seems
Not Based on
Past
Performance,
Syria
Pre-Gravitas
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 11 --
It's either
strange or
forward-looking
to give
the 2013 Nobel
Peace Prize to
the
Organization
for the
Prevention of
Chemical
Weapons. As
OPCW embarks
on its mission
to Syria,
agree
first by the
US and Russia
then by the UN
Security
Council, to
some
this seem akin
to giving
Barack Obama
the Prize just
as he began as
US President.
This
year, Obama
threatened a
military
strike on
Syria without
UN Security
Council
approval,
alongside
untold deadly
drone strikes
elsewhere.
Here,
the Prize to
OPCW seems
designed to
give it added
gravitas if or
when
it faces
hurdles in
Syria, or
accuses the
government of
violations.
Look for the
phrase to be
appended:
Nobel prize
winner.
But
earlier this
week when the
OPCW held a
press
conference in
The Hague,
web-cast but
unlike the
International
Monetary Fund
not taking
questions from
journalists
online, at the
end they
couldn't even
find
a final
question they
had time for.
Director
General
Ahmet Uzumcu
was in and out
of that press
conference
fast --
some called it
"pulling a Ban
Ki-moon" in
reference to
the
UN Secretary
General's few
questions from
friendly
scribes -- but
now
presumably
he'll have to
take more. A
press
conference is
being set
up for the
Hotel Bel Air
in the Hague.
In
New York, some
wonder if an
overnight
draft letter
by which the
UN
Security
Council will
OK Ban's
planned
mission with
the OPCW can
or
will be
amended with a
reference to
OPCW winning
the Nobel
Peace
Prize.
But
the OPCW
Executive
Council, which
whatever Ahmet
Uzumcu says
would
seem to be the
body to assert
violations or
not, by
government or
rebels, has
among its
members for
example Qatar
and Iran and
Saudi
Arabia. Are
THEY getting
the Nobel
Peace Prize?
Watch this
site.
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