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At
UN, Greece's
Bakoyannis Called "Not Ready for Prime Time" by Some: Sri What?
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED
NATIONS, February 28 -- Dora
Bakoyannis, the foreign minister of Greece, was unable on Friday to
comment on
the 2000 civilians killed this year in Sri Lanka. She came to speak to
the
Press outside the UN Security Council, which was holding a three-part
session
on the OSCE, peacebuilding and Sri Lanka. Inner City Press asked for
her or
Greece's position on Sri Lanka, the debate on which in the Council has
concerned
the right of a government to kill civilians while fighting a separatist
or
terrorist group.
"I will not
comment on that," Minister Bakoyannis
said, "I have to catch up with it." Video here,
from Minute 5:01.
Several Greek observers shook their heads, some embarrassed, some
judgmental. Not ready for prime time was the
verdict, they said.
Beyond such
intra-Greek critique, the larger question which we hope going forward
to explore is, Does a foreign ministry such as Greece's only take an
interest in conflicts outside of their region while they are on the UN
Security Council, or are aspiring for a seat?
When
asked if Russia building military bases in
Abkhazia and South
Ossetia would be helpful to her and the OSCE's attempts to keep a OSCE
mission
in these areas, Ms. Bakoyannis answered only that it "should be
discussed
within the OSCE." Video here,
from Minute 4:54.
Ms. Bakoyannis and UN's Ban, her last time in
NY, Sri Lanka not shown
Ms.
Bakoyannis did answer, or
at least respond to, Inner City Press' question about Nagorno Karabakh,
on
which she has been quoted that a solution's to be found within the
territory of Azerbaijan. She answered by referring to the Minsk
process, trying
to bring it to a close by the end of 2009. Video here,
from Minute 2:11. This answer, but not the Sri Lanka no comment, was
picked up by the ANA news service, here.
Staff
of the Greek Mission to the UN, working around
the clock during
Ms. Bakoyannis' visit, were to accompany her to the airport after this
Council
appearance. The Mission is among the more responsive in UN world, on
topics
ranging from the riots to the intrigue around the U.S.'s planned use of
a Greek
port by the name of Lobster for weapons trans-shipment. To bring
Minister Bakoyannis
up to speed on major UN topics, at least those on the Council's agenda
on the
day that she is there, would be another step forward.
Click
here
for Feb.
12 debate on Sri Lanka http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/17772?in=11:33&out=32:56
Click here for Inner City Press' Jan.
16, 2009 debate about Gaza
Click here for Inner City Press'
review-of-2008 UN Top Ten debate
Click here for Inner
City Press' December 24 debate on UN budget, Niger
Click here from Inner City Press'
December 12 debate on UN double standards
Click here for Inner
City Press' November 25 debate on Somalia, politics
Click here for Inner City
Press Nov. 7 debate on the war in Congo
Watch this site, and this Oct. 2 debate, on
UN, bailout, MDGs
and this October 17 debate, on
Security Council and Obama and the UN.
* * *
These
reports are
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News and on Lexis-Nexis.
Click
here
for a Reuters
AlertNet piece by this correspondent
about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click
here
for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali
National
Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an
undefined trust fund. Video
Analysis here
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