At
UN
on Koreas, China Opposes “Condemn,” Inaction
Likely, 2 Elements Proposed
By
Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 30 -- Negotiations for a UN Security Council
statement on the artillery attack on Yeonpyeong island have stalled,
Inner City Press has learned. On November 29, China expressed its
opposition to a draft statement which would have “condemned” the
attack. China also proposed adding two elements, about the Six Party
Talks and 2005 joint statement.
At
press time, the
political coordinators of the US and China were negotiating. The
sense, however, is that with China opposing the use of the world
“condemned,” and South Korea saying that a weak Council statement
would be worse than nothing, nothing will occur.
The artillery attack, SC action not shown
Meanwhile,
the
Council will hear on Tuesday about Haiti, the elections and cholera,
at the request of US Ambassador Susan Rice.
* * *
At
UN,
No
Action on Korea Shootout, Security Council Theater, Questions Banned
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November
24 -- The shootout in Korea reverberated throughout
Wednesday outside the UN Security Council, while within the Council
nothing was done about the showdown.
The
Council had two meetings, in
the morning on the Congo and at 4 pm about Ivory Coast. The stakeout
was full of reporters from Japanese media, who burst into action to
chase a mid level North Korean diplomat to no avail.
In
the morning the
Permanent Representative of South Korea entered the Council's
chambers. He did not go into the consultations, however, but only to
meet with UK Deputy Permanent Represent Philip Parham. On his way
out, he refused to answer any questions.
After
the
morning's
meeting, Susan Rice of the US stayed inside talking with UK Permanent
Representative Mark Lyall Grant, after Russia's Vitaly Churkin had
left. At the news that the Council would reconvene in the afternoon,
the press was all at(w)itter.
But
the afternoon
session concerned only Ivory Coast, sending three battalions and two
helicopters from the UN Mission in Liberia for Sunday's runoff
election. After the vote on this resolution, the UK's Lyall Grant
told the mass of reporters that on Korea “consultations continue.” He
said he would take no questions on camera, even about Ivory
Coast.
UN's Ban & UK's Lyall Grant: neither
takes questions, utmost concern not shown
Afterward
an
Ivorian
diplomat complained to Inner City Press that his country
hadn't been consulted about the resolution to send in the additional
troops. By then the major powers have left, the Thanksgiving holiday
getting an early start.
The
prediction is
that North Korea will be discussion on Monday November 29, on
resolution 1718 (non proliferation). But what of the non nuclear
shootout? A shiny haired South Korean journalist regaled Japanese
reporters with tales of Seoul's prowess.
“We don't need
the Security Council,” he said, “not this time, not when we
fought back.” Reporters scribbled this down, perhaps to become
Gospel in Tokyo. Another reporter asked, why is Thanksgiving four
days? The UN unceremoniously canceled its Friday press briefing.
At
Wednesday's briefing, acting deputy spokesman Farhan Haq denied that
Ban Ki-moon has seen a UN memo about Korea, and dodged questions
about why Korea had not been in Ban's Monday speech. He pointed at
Ban's November 23 statement, that Ban conveyed his “utmost concern”
to Lyall Grant. But why then no Council meeting? Watch this site.
On the memo,
from the UN's
November
24 transcript:
Inner
City
Press:
a memo has emerged for a 6 December meeting of the Policy
Committee of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General concerning
DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea]. I don’t know if
you have seen it, but it’s been leaked and talks about the UN
trying “efforts to re-engage with the DPRK”. It seems to have
been written before this most recent firing, but I just wonder,
first, can you confirm that the document exists and or that there is
a 6 December meeting of the Korean Peninsula/DPRK Policy Committee of
the Secretary-General’s office? And two, does this raise any, does
the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, is a stated desire to
re-engage with DPRK in any way changed by recent events?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson
Farhan Haq: Well, first of all, you’re aware
of our general policy not to comment on leaked documents, which
applies in this case. In this particular case, as for whether there
was a meeting of the Policy Committee on this, no, in fact there was
not. The document that was reported on Fox is not something that has
been seen by senior UN officials. It was not reviewed by senior UN
officials, and therefore it does not have any particular status.
Inner
City
Press:
Is there within DPA [Department of Political Affairs] a
unit that specifically focuses on Korea Peninsula/DPRK that provides
memos to the Executive Office of the Secretary-General?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson:
You mean does the Department of Political
Affairs have a desk on North Korea?
Question:
[inaudible]
document, it seems to, unless it’s somehow some
lower-level UN official writing his own grandiose projections, it
seems to be…
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson:
Like I said, this is not something that was
reviewed by senior officials. It could be a working level initial
draft. But it certainly is not something that has undergone any
particular review higher up.
Question:
Was
there at any time a meeting scheduled for 6 December on the
topic of DPRK/Korean Peninsula?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson:
Like I said, this not something that has been
discussed at the Policy Committee.
But
that doesn't
answer the question. Watch this site.
, 
