At
UN
on Palestine,
As SC
Ambassadors
Get Update,
Questions of
Format
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 17, updated
Nov 10
-- With a
Palestine
update to UN
Security
Council
Permanent
Representatives
due from
Council
president Joy
Ogwu on
October 18, a
question has
arisen of in
what format
the Permanent
Representatives
will be
meeting: as an
informal
gathering of
the Committee
on the
Admission of
New Members,
or in a formal
meeting?
At 5
pm on Monday
sources
indicated that
"Western
members'
argument" that
the update
should be only
an informal
session, with
no record, had
prevailed.
That
those members
which want to
slow
consideration
of Palestine's
application
are now
focusing on
format is
emblematic of
the let-down
so far after
Mahmoud Abbas
submitted the
application
with such
fanfare on
September 23.
After
Western
spokespeople
called it a
mere update,
Inner City
Press asked
South African
Permanent
Representative
Baso Sangqu
about it. He
said things
were going too
slow at the
expert's
level.
Last
week,
Palestinian
Observer Riyad
Mansour
predicted to
Inner City
Press that
"this process"
will be over
within the
Nigerian
presidency, by
the end of
October.
Sangqu on
Monday said he
agreed with
that. But how?
Abbas launches
bid on
September 23,
stall on
format not
shown
Permanent
Representative
Haroun of
Pakistan, a
prospective
2012 - 13
Council member
if as expected
it beat out
Kyrgyzstan for
the seat, told
Inner City
Press he does
not expect
Palestine's
application
for UN
membership to
still be
actively
pending in the
Council on
January 1,
2011.
Then
on October 14,
Moroccan
Permanent
Representative
Loulichki said
that "of
course"
Morocco would
support
Palestine for
UN membership.
Guatemala,
another
presumptive
incoming
Council
member, took a
reservation
from the Group
of 77's
pro-Palestine
position.
We'll have
more on this.
It
is now
understood
that in the
last experts'
level session
of the
Committee on
Admission of
New Members,
South Africa
proposed that
with 14*
minutes left,
consideration
should turn to
the criterion
of whether
Palestine is
"peace
loving."
While one of
the European
countries
identified as
a delayer
joined in this
request --
perhaps to
counter to
identification
-- it was not
granted,
virtually
ensuring that
at the October
18 session the
experts' work
will be said
to not be
completed.
Footnote:
in
the Security
Council's
closed door
session Monday
afternoon,
sources tell
Inner City
Press that
Russia raised
the issue of
Kosovo. Watch
this site.
*
- on November
10, a
participant in
the meeting
sought out
Inner City
Press to say
that it was
FORTY minutes,
not FOURTEEN.
We note that
there.
, 
