Spain's
Benito
Comes to UN to
Cut Costs,
Meets
Malcorra,
Answers on
Gibraltar
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 22 --
When Spain's
Secretary of
State for
Foreign
Affairs
Gonzalo de
Benito came to
the UN on
Thursday, it
was at least
in part to cut
Spain's
commitment to
the Alliance
of
Civilizations.
It was a
Zapatero
initiative;
not only is he
out of power,
the
country's
finances are
in shambles.
Inner
City Press
asked Benito
if Spain's
closing of its
embassy in
Syria should
also
be viewed as a
budget cut,
and if his
country sees
the UK's
position
on Gibraltar
as similar to
that on the
Malvinas or
Falkland
Islands.
Benito did not
answer on the
embassy but
said that
while
Gibraltar
had not been
raised in New
York -- the UK
is the
president of
the
Security
Council this
month -- Spain
only wants to
discuss
sovereignty
issues with
the UK.
Benito
while at
the UN met
with
Argentina's
Susana
Malcorra,
"current head
of
Field Support
but soon to be
Ban Ki-moon's
chief of
staff." Was
this so she
could speak in
Spanish? Or
might Spain
while cutting
voluntary
economic
support to the
UN boost up
its
contribution
of
peacekeepers?
Western
Sahara
was asked
about, in
Spanish then
translation.
Benito said
there will
be no change
in position
under the new
government,
that Spain
will
support Ross
and is
heartened by
recent
rapprochement
between
Morocco
and Algeria.
We'll see.
Asked
about the
Alliance of
Civilization,
Benito
mentioned an
alliance for
the
Balkans. Based
on its
coverage of
the ongoing
race of Serbia
versus
Lithuania to
be the next
President of
the General
Assembly,
sources
told Inner
City Press
that Serbia's
Vuk Jeremic
was in town
"using"
the Alliance
meetings to
push his
candidacy.
There is also
already a
discussion of
who would be
PGA after the
Eastern
European group
--
watch this
site.
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