Australia's
Carr Tells ICP
No Assad in
Syria,
Palestine
&
Myanmar Only
in GA
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 18 --
After
Australia won
a two-year UN
Security
Council seat
with 140
votes, which
foreign
minister Bob
Carr called a
"big, juicy
win," Inner
City Press
asked Carr
three
questions
about what
Australia will
do with its
juicy victory.
On
Syria, Inner
City Press
asked what
Australia will
push for when
it
joins the
Council in
January. Carr
said Australia
supports a
"ceasefire and
political
negotiations,"
and protection
of
civilians,
ambulances and
hospitals.
Inner
City Press
asked Carr if
a solution in
which Bashar
al Assad
remained
in power would
be acceptable.
"No,"
Carr said. Video
here, from
Minute 7:12.
Inner
City Press
asked if
Australia
supports
Palestinian
full
membership in
the UN --
meaning, full
membership
voted through
the Security
Council. But
Carr answered
about less
membership, as
an Observer
state, and
said Australia
would support
that in the
General
Assembly.
Carr
also referred
to the General
Assembly
rather than
Security
Council
when Inner
City Press
asked if
Australia
thinks Myanmar
should be on
the agenda of
the Security
Council, given
the plight of
the stateless
Rohingya in
the country.
Carr
said that the
annual General
Assembly
resolution on
Myanmar should
include more
"encouragement
and
acknowledgement"
of the
country's
transition.
But what about
the Security
Council?
Carr
gave credit to
Australian
Permanent
Representative
Gary Quinlan,
with
which Inner
City Press can
vouch. Quinlan
worked in it
nearly every
forum. His
estimate to
Inner City
Press, of 162
votes, was a
lot more
realistic than
Finland's
estimate of
165 (Finland
got 108 votes
in
the first
round).
Luxembourg
was
the dark horse
which won,
albeit in the
second round,
its first
term on the
Security
Council. But
the country,
like
Argentina, did
not come and
speak at the
stakeout.
Watch this
site.
Update:
a
Friend on
Inner City
Press made
this
transcript:
Inner
City Press:
What are
Australia's
thoughts on
Syria?
FM
Carr:
Naturally on
Syria we
support a
ceasefire and
political
negotiations
to end this
tragic civil
war. Which
shows signs
every
day of
spilling over
into the
suffering
neighboring
countries. We
want support
for our plan
to get
protection and
in order to
have
protection
under
international
law, for the
ambulances and
the
hospitals and
the medical
personnel at
the very
least, the
people of
Syria can get
the medical
aid they need.
I discussed
this with UN
officials
yesterday and
we see this as
a pressing
priority at
the
moment.
Inner
City Press:
Can you
imagine a
situation in
which Assad
would stay?
FM
Carr: No.
Inner
City Press:
Palestine,
should they
join the UN?
FM
Carr: We will
consider as a
member of the
General
Assembly a
resolution
that’s
presented on
its merits.
Inner
City Press:
Should Myanmar
be in the
agenda of the
Security
Council,
particularly
given the
plight of the
Rohingya?
FM
Carr : I think
the UN GA
needs to
change the
language of
the
resolution it
carries each
year on
Myanmar to
provide more
encouragement
and more
acknowledgment
of the
progress that
country
has made as it
transitions to
democratic
norms....
, 
