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Abkhaz on Council Agenda But Not Yet
in UN, with Ossetians in Possible Basement Meeting, Kebabs for Iran
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Muse
UNITED
NATIONS, February 9 -- In
the conflict between Georgia and Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and Russia
behind
them, the UN has become a sideshow and a prop. This week the mandate of
the UN
Observer Mission in Georgia expires; it was rolled over to February in
part to
put it past Bush into the Obama era. But Monday the Group of Friends on
Georgia
met and afterwards UK Ambassador John Sawers told the Press that they
are close
to agreeing on a resolution to merely roll the mandate over again,
sticking
with the precedent that the word Georgia not appear. All of this to
give time
to the Geneva talks. There are a few remaining issues, Sawers said
without
naming them.
Inner City Press' sources say that while Georgia
wants a "straight
rollover" with no changes, the European Union wants some additional
language
about new security mechanisms. Georgia opposes this because they see a
need for
a complete revamp of the mission in Abkhazia, "real peacekeepers" as
they put it. They argue that Abkhazians, if they truly want to be
independent,
would be better served by peacekeepers to protect their interests
vis-a-vis
Russia as well as Georgia. They say the South Ossetians are another
matter,
their leadership entirely aligned with Russia.
In Georgia, now
the Saakashvili
government has lost not only former UN Ambassador Irakli Alasania but
also
Viktor Dolidze, the ambassador to the OSCE.
UN envoy Verbeke, Abkhaz and Ossetian
representation not shown
So while the
first roll-over of the mandate may have been attributable to turn-over
at the top of the U.S. government, now there's a rationale for
deferring decision pending a change of government in Georgia.
While some in the UN Secretariat disagree, Inner
City Press' Council
sources predict that Russia will this week demand that representatives
of
Abkhazia and South Ossetia be allowed to participate in the Council's
process,
in the chamber. "Russia doesn't have the votes, thought," they argue.
A so-called Arria-formula meeting, held in the UN's basement instead of
in the
Council chamber, might be possible. One
wag joked, for once recently someone really wants to come to the UN.
Footnote:
this same format might be the one for the Sri Lankan
briefing that Mexico requested and Inner City Press has exclusively
reported
on, click here
for that.
Foodnote:
most Council members, and many other Ambassadors, on Monday
celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the Islamic Republic of Iran,
complete with
hummus and roasted and stewed meats, honey pastries and no alcohol. Of
the
food, one General Assembly wag quipped that the Axis of Evil always
serves the
best spread. But what about North Korea? There was talk of Iran
chairing the
executive board of the UN Development Program; there was prouder talk
of Iran's
new satellite. We can look down at the US, one gleeful staffer said.
Ban
Ki-moon showed up and engaged in staged talk with Iran's Ambassador, as
the
press pushed in but couldn't hear. At 8:40 Aramark turned the house
lights on
and off. It was time to go. What will the next thirty years bring for
that
ancient culture?
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
usually also available through Google
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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[at] innercitypress.com
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