As
Finns
Vie for SC,
Small 5 Talk
Reform &
Vote,
Colonial Echo
in African
Trip
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 2, updated
-- The UN Security
Council need
to be reformed
- but
there is
little
agreement as
to how or
when. In the
interim
countries
continue to
vie for their
two years on
the Council.
All
this was on
display on May
2 at the UN,
when the
so-called
Small Five
held a
session in the
General
Assembly,
while Council
candidate for
2013-14
Finland showed
off its
peacekeeping
and even
chocolates in
the
Kuwaiti Boat
area between
the Council
and GA.
Costa
Rica, Jordan,
Liechtenstein,
Singapore and
Switzerland
make up the
Small Five.
Unlike the G4,
UFC and L69
the Small Five
is pushing to
reform the
Council's
"working
methods," with
a resolution
making 21
reform points.
These
include no
vetoes of
actions aimed
at preventing
or ending
genocide, war
crimes
and crimes
against
humanity,
given the
General
Assembly a
greater
role in
selecting the
Secretary
General, and
improving due
process in
sanctions
lists.
A
proponent
Permanent
Representative
told Inner
City Press on
Wednesday that
it
is 90% sure
that this
resolution
will be put to
a vote on May
16,
saying it
requires only
50%. Others
say two-third
should be
required.
Update
of 4:07 pm
- the meeting
is closed, but
sources tell
Inner City
Press Canada
is proposing a
vote on
whether 2/3
should be
required. A
vote about a
vote.
Meanwhile a
reader replies
about
Finland's
chocolate
"Martti Bar,"
see below,
that one
shouldn't eat
a Nobel Peace
Prize
winner...
While
some say to
call a vote is
good --
"enough talk,
let's vote" --
others
say it is
jumping the
gun. There are
five points to
reform,
several
Ambassadors
told Inner
City Press,
and Working
Methods is the
last.
They should
hold off.
Update
of 6:20 pm
-- After
speaking with
three of the
Small Five
Permanent
Representatives,
Inner City
Press gleens
that a legal
opinon will be
sought from
the President
of the GA. If
he says only
50% is needed,
a member of
UfC may call a
vote to
overrule the
PGA -- a vote
that would be
simple
majority.
The Small Five
-- perhaps
they should
re-brand
themselves the
"Strategic"Five
-- seem to
acknowledge
that obtaining
2/3 would be a
stretch. So
they hope for
the ruling of
50%, and that
it not be
overturned.
Opponents have
different
motives; some
but not all
take positions
in support of
one or more of
the Permanent
Five. We
will continue
on this.
Downstairs
Finland's
peacekeeping
and chocolate
display, with
a loop of
upbeat
music and
video clips of
Martti
Ahtisaari, is
openly
directly to
getting
elected to the
Council in
October. It's
a rare
contested
race, with
Australia and
Luxembourg for
two seats.
Australia's
pitch
is that yes it
is WEOG --
Western
European and
Other Group,
to you --
but it is also
in Asia,
bridging the
gap.
Finland,
which
gave Inner
City Press a
tour and, in
full
disclosure, a
chocolate bar
we'll call the
Martti Bar, in
the tradition
of the Reggie
(Jackson)
bar given out
at one point
in Yankee
Stadium, is
that for a
small
non-aligned
country they
do a lot in
mediation,
even have a
war
crimes expert
who worked in
Libya in April
2012, Helena
Ranta. We aim
to cover
Luxembourg's
pitch
when we can.
Meanwhile
as
Azerbaijan
takes over the
Security
Council
presidency in
May there is
a trip to West
Africa.
Tellingly,
each stop is
co-sponsored
by the
former
colonialist or
sponsor,
paired with an
African
country.
The
Cote
d'Ivoire leg
will be led by
colonialist
France, along
with Togo.
The Sierra
Leone stop
will be co-led
by the UK and
South Africa.
And
the Liberia
leg's by
Morocco and
the United
States.
Finland
went
to
pains to point
out that it
never had
colonies.
Australia,
while both
funding and
some say
controlling a
number of
small island
states, was
itself a
colony in a
sense, and now
claims to be
the country
with the
highest rate
of
inter-racial
marriage in
the world.
Again, we aim
to
cover
Luxembourg's
pitch, sure to
involved
peacebuilding,
when we
can. Watch
this site.
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