At
UN,
Watered Down Climate PRST, Water Rising, Ecocide in
ECOSOC?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 20, updated -- After 6 pm on Wednesday, the German presidency of
the Security Council read out a Statement on climate change, eight
paragraphs long.
It
goes out of its
way to say that the General Assembly and ECOSOC have primacy. It asks
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to slip climate information into the
reports he already files with the Council. The Council does not
remain “seized of the matter.”
An
hour before the
statement came out, Bolivia gave a speech saying that the Security
Council is not the venue for climate change, since the biggest
polluters have veto power. Instead Bolivia proposed an “International
Tribunal for Climate and Environmental Justice,” to hold polluters
guilty for “ecocide.” One Council wag dubbed it the “Ecocide
in ECOSOC” speech.
Given
the
opposition to earlier drafts of the Statement, including Russia
“breaking silence” on Wednesday morning, how did Germany get
agreement?
Merkel, Ban Ki-moon and guard, climate PRST deals
& reporting not shown
A well placed
Permanent Representative told Inner City
Press that Germany's foreign minister Guido Westerwelle spoke with
this Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to seal the deal. While
seeking confirmation, it is significant that is the perception: that
a deal was cut.
German
Ambassador
Peter Wittig was said to be prepared to take question, in connection
with an unrelated Council press statement on Serbia's arrest of Goran
Hadzic, indicted for war crimes in Croatia in 1991 and 1992. We'll
see.
Update of 7 pm --
while Ambassador Wittig, when Inner City Press asked if the diplomacy
went "above the Permanent Representative level," merely said the
process was "includive," it's been confirmed to Inner City Press that
this PRST did come up in discussions between Westerwelle and Lavrov
this week. So as the initial source on this asked: what deal was
cut? Call it diplomacy. We'll continue on this.
* * *
On
Climate,
Russia “Broke Silence” on UNSC Statement, Deal Still Sought
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 20 -- As more than sixty countries gave speeches about
climate change in the UN Security Council on Wednesday, behind the
scenes the German presidency of the Council tried to negotiate with
Russia, and to some degree China, to get agreement on a watered down
statement on the topic.
As
Inner City
Press
reported July 19, there was a range of opposition to Germany's
draft in the lead up to a re-drafting meeting that afternoon. The
result went into so-called “silence procedure” to see if it was
acceptably to all 15 Council members. Russia broke the silence
procedure.
But
Russia is not
the only doubted. The Non Aligned Movement, for example, has opposed
the Germans' proposal. On July 20 Egypt's Permanent Representative
Maged Abdelaziz told Inner City Press that NAM does not want the
Council to take any action on climate. “That is for the General
Assembly and UNFCCC,” he said.
He
said NAM
wouldn't oppose there being a Special Representative on climate
change, but it should be created by the General Assembly, not the
Security Council.
But
NAM's
representative or coordinator in the Council, Colombia, has had its
concerned allayed by the German's re-draft. Brazil's Permanent
Representative Viotti told Inner City Press that the amendments she
had proposed had all be taken, but “they keep talking with Russia
and China.”
Russia's
Deputy Permanent Representative Sasha Pankin told Inner City Press that
he has worked on the climate issue and it is complex. He asked,
what would the Council actually do
about it?
Proponents
of the
statement pointedly ask how Brazil got support for their thematic
meeting's statement, on development and security, but now climate
change and security is a problem. Others wonder how HIV / AIDS can
be in Council statements, but not climate change.
But
even the
Association of Small Island States meeting on the morning of July 19
was inconclusive. There is philosophic or turf-based opposition to
the Security Council “taking over” the issue of climate change.
Even
though the
Germans have changed the language to address this so-called
“encroachment” fear, it remains. So will the Security Council
“remain seized” of climate change and security? Watch this site.
* * *
At
UN
on Climate, Russia Says Complex, China Speaks of Blue Seats in GA
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 19, updated -- If there is
a climate
change Presidential
Statement in the Security Council on July 20 it will be “so weak as
to be meaningless,” several sources told Inner City Press midday on
Tuesday.
They
described a
contentious closed door consultation that morning which began with
China saying its position had not changed, it wanted no outcome from
the meeting.
Afterward,
Chinese
Deputy Permanent Representative Wang explained to Inner City Press
that China does not want the Security Council taking over issues from
the General Assembly. He said there are already “blue” or empty
seats throughout the General Assembly as it loses power.
Russia's
Deputy
Permanent Representative Pankin told Inner City Press that climate
change is complex and the Germany presidency has not made clear what
it proposes the Council do about the issue: send peacekeepers to
close down coal mines?
Brazil's
Permanent
Representative Viotti told Inner City Press her country was willing
to negotiate and had put forward proposed amendments, to limit
encroachment and narrow the scope from what had been proposed. But
they have not yet included our amendments, she said.
Colombia
is the
Non Aligned Movement's representative or coordinator on the Council
this month, and conveyed NAM's opposition to the Presidential
Statement.
Colombia in
its national capacity proposed amendments.
Another source told Inner City Press Colombia said it too suffers
from climate change, but nevertheless has these concerns.
The
United States
is understood to be favoring the Security Council adopting some
Statement on climate change. The Germans remain hopeful, preparing
another draft for an experts level meeting at 3 pm on Tuesday.
But
with Russia and China expressing opposition, and Colombia, Brazil and
others forwarding amendments, even a weak Presidential Statement is
by no means assured. Watch this site.
Update of 1:30 pm --
sources tell Inner City Press a "bare bones" re-drafted PRST has been
circulated in advance of the 3 pm meeting. Inner City Press asked
German Ambassador Peter Wittig as he came out of the Council after the
Iraq meeting -- SRSG Ad Melkert briefed but did not take any press
questions -- about the chances for the climate PRST. Anything is
possible, he said.
, 
in