At
Nigeria House,
Rice on Occupy
Wall Street,
Cabral on
NP183, UK on
UN Flights
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 26 --
With three
full days of
October
Security
Council
meetings still
to go, Nigeria
held its End
of Presidency
reception
Wednesday
night 21
stories above
Second Avenue.
The month
has been
an active one,
with
Palestine's
application
for UN
membership
still
pending,
NATO's
campaign in
Libya
belatedly
winding down,
and the
rare double
veto of the
European
resolution on
Syria.
The
turn out was
impressive,
with Permanent
Representatives
Rice of the
US, with
spouse, Lyall
Grant of the
UK, Churkin of
Russia,
Messone of
Gabon,
Viotti of
Brazil, ,
Sanqu of South
Africa, Salam
of Lebanon,
Barbalic of
Bosnia, Cabral
of Portugal
and many more.
Amid the snaps
of
mostly African
photographers,
Nigeria's Joy
Ogwu greeted
them, posed
for pictures,
gestures to
the spicy meat
and chicken
wings.
The
talk ranged
from Occupy
Wall Street,
with the host
country's
first (UN)
couple to
Eritrea
sanctions with
the sartorial
sage of
Libreville.
(China's
deputy Wang
guess the
topic.) The
UN's failure
to monitor
flights of
janjawiid
militia from
Darfur to Blue
Nile state
bubbled under
the
surface, with
answers still
to be given.
Next
month's
president is
Portugal,
whose
Ambassador
Cabral this
month struck a
blow for the
non-elected
ten, even for
what we'll dub
the "Non
Permanent 183
of the UN" --
NP183 -- by
refusing to
appear for a
Council
meeting on
Yemen while
the General
Assembly was
preparing to
meet to elect
new Council
members.
Some
DGACM staff
were also
present,
recounting the
difficulties
of that vote
and the
General
Assembly to
date. The
former
secretary of
the Fifth
Committee
chatted with
Ambassador
Rice, also
advising the
Press to keep
an eye
on budget
deliberation
which pursuant
to a push by
Rice's
management
ambassador Joe
Torsella may
be televised.
Amb. Ogwu,
Rice &
Sangqu, a
range of views
(c) MRLee
(The
US to its
credit was
all-in on the
reception,
with
Ambassadors
Rosemary
DiCarlo
and Jeffrey
DeLaurentis in
the House,
along with
other
staffers.
French
Permanent
Representative
Gerald Araud,
by contrast,
was
nowhere to be
seen. French
head of
Peacekeeping
Ladsous was
not seen,
not Ban
Ki-moon or his
North Korean
envoy Kim
Won-soo.)
Amb Ogwu &
Messone of
Gabon, Viotti
of Brazil, (c)
MRLee
The
US wants to
cut
costs, but
wants money to
be spent to
televise the
cutting
process.
It is a
circle, with
the Council's
social
circuit, on
which Slovenia
and Mauritania
will miss out,
while
Azerbaijan,
Pakistan,
Guatemala,
Morocco and
Togo will
join. We'll be
back on the
substance
tomorrow,
and even more
next year -
watch this
site.
, 
