At the UN, Kosovo Subject to Bosnian Spin and Romanian Precedents, Uzbek Refugees Still Without Asylum

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN

UNITED NATIONS, June 20 -- "The last piece of the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia should be dealt with in the Security Council," UK Deputy Permanent Ambassador Karen Pierce told reporters on Wednesday. Moments before, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin had called the most recent draft resolution which would grant Kosovo independence from Serbia, even with some months delay, "unacceptable."

            Amb. Pierce called Kosovo's independence "inevitable," and noted that the UK has worked with Russia on Balkans issues since the 1995 Dayton negotiations. While a Council resolution is preferable, she said, "that's not to say there are not other route available... Events on the grounds, particularly in the Balkans, have a way of outstripping what we do here in New York."

            Inner City Press asked Ambassador Pierce two further Balkans questions, first about the letters to Ban Ki-moon from two of Bosnia's three presidents, requesting the "extinguishment" of Republika Srpska.  Amb. Pierce, after noting that the High Commissioner who condemned these letters does not answer to, although he recently reported to, the Security Council, referred back to a previous statement, that all residents of Republika Srpska should not be held responsible for genocide and war crimes, the worst of which was Srebrenica.

            She said that the most recent agreement between the European Union and Serbia calls for the capture and delivery to prosecutor Carla del Ponte of Mladic and Karadzic. There must be accountability, she said. Video here, from Minute 4:53.

            Asked about the UN's invocation of immunity to seek to dismiss a lawsuit in the Netherlands recently filed by relatives of victims of Srebrenica, Amb. Pierce said that since she is aware of the case but not of where it stands, "there is nothing I can usefully give you on that."

Bosnia in early 90s, UN immunity not shown

            In the same Security Council stakeout area some hours later, a UN security guard offered, on condition of anonymity, his story of Romania agreeing to relinquish two provinces, Bucovina and Basarabia, initially annexed by Stalin in 1940 and then returned, to Ukraine in exchange for joining the European Union.  He asked, why not offer automatic EU accession to Serbia as part of a Kosovo independence package? Sometimes there's as much wisdom, or more (just) outside the Security Council  than inside it.

            Finally, for this report, related to the issues of Russia and in the spirit of World Refugee Day, Inner City Press recently asked

"Can UNHCR comment on Russia's denial of asylum to Uzbeks, these and in general? And the difficulties of those fleeing Uzbekistan?"

 Better late than never, this came in:

"On the 31 May the Department of the Federal Migration Service in Ivanovo Region took the decision to reject applications of Uzbek asylum seekers for a temporary asylum. In accordance with the national Law on Refugees their lawyer sent an appeal to the local court. The court procedure usually takes a few months. During this period asylum seekers can not be deported. It should be also noted that the appeal of the Uzbek asylum seekers were communicated by the European Court on Human Rights."

 For more Inner City Press human rights reporting today, click here...

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