Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the Inner City to Wall Street to the United Nations

As UN's Georgia Mission Faces Russian Axe, Selective Sovereignty

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

UNITED NATIONS, June 15, updated post-veto below -- Amid dark talk of a Russian veto threat, Monday in the Security Council the UN's Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) faces cancellation or at most a mere two week reprieve, Western Council diplomats tell Inner City Press. Georgian diplomats, who are not on the Security Council but pace the hallways outside, seemed resigned that any resolution containing a reference to their country's territorial integrity and continued claim over Abkhazia and South Ossetia would be vetoed by Russia.

   On June 12, Inner City Press asked French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert about the status of negotiations about the Georgia Mission, given French president Sarkozy's loud diplomacy last August to ostensibly solve the problem. We are working on it, Ripert said. The German mission said work would continue over the weekend. But on Monday, Western Council diplomats told the Press that they might not be able to get even a two week roll over. "Russia is playing hard ball," one said. The Georgian diplomat nodded wanly.

   Russia's position is that its recognition of the unilateral declaration of independence by South Ossetia and Abkhazia rendered moot much of the so-called Sarkozy agreements. Now, many predict that South Ossetia will simply be incorporated into Russia. Abkhazia, on the other hand, seems to be aiming for more independence, putting out a call for its diaspora in Turkey and elsewhere to return and "build the nation."

   Speaking of nations and wanna-be nations, it is hard not to notice that Russia, which supported Sri Lanka's position that the Tamil "separatists" in northern Sri Lanka could be attacked along with civilians without any formal Security Council meeting, now enforces the separatist rights of Abkhaz and South Ossetians. Russia's argues is that these people were attacked. And the Tamils weren't?

At UN, Russia's Churkin under UK Sawers' watchful eye

   At 10:38 a.m. outside the Council, a Georgia diplomat shook his head and told Inner City Press, "It's either short lived or its dead." Watch this space for updates.

Update of 12:53 p.m. -- Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin has made the veto threat public. First he spoke with the Russian press -- "eight minutes straight without taking a breath," one non-Russian speaking reporter described it -- then in English at the stakeout, for UN TV. He said that even on June 12, the "Friends of Georgia" indicated they would look into what to call the mission, for purposes of a rollover. But now, Churkin said, they've put in blue a resolution which includes the name Georgia and pre-conflict Resolution 1808. Russia had said it would vote no, and has counter offered a one month rollover with no reference to Georgia or its territorial integrity. A vote is scheduled for 5 p.m.. They are playing chicken: who will blink first?

Inner City Press asked Churkin to distinguish the UNMIK mission in Kosovo, the extensions of which refer to Resolution 1244 (1999) and Russia's insistence in dropping any reference to Resolution 1808 (2008 -- April). Churkin, choosing his words careful, said among other things that Kosovo is still governed by 1244, while this is not the case in Abkhazia, given the different format of peacekeeping. Video through here. Like we said: selective sovereignty, on both sides...

Update of 5:45 p.m. -- the Council has consulted, now reportedly waiting for China to get instructions. A Western diplomat tells Inner City Press that it could be over by 6 p.m.. By over he means, the end of the mission.

Inner City Press asks, what would happened with envoy Verbecke? Back to Lebanon? Or is he... a man without a mission? Watch this space.

Update of 6:10 p.m. -- the members are in the Chamber, and Inner City Press in the cheap seats filing this report. Russia's Churkin is speaking before the vote, against "old terms in documents." Veto seems assured.

Update of 6:13 p.m. -- Churkin says the Westernerns were "chasing political chimera." A word straight out of Baudelaire, rarely heard these days even at the UN. "Our partners preferred poison to medicine" -- Russia "cannot allow its adoptions."

Update of 6:17 p.m. -- Russia votes no, alone. Then four abstentions, including China, Libya and Vietnam. Ten in favor. Not adopted, based on the negative vote of a permanent member. Now Ripert of France is speaking, a counter-telling of the run up to the veto.

Update of 6:21 p.m. -- Ripert says there are areas of hatred still remaining, France regrets this Russian veto and expresses its support for Georgia's territorial integrity in its internationally recognized borders. Now Mr. La of China says "we should have made further efforts" with six hours to go. China urges the Group of Friends to arrive at a compromise plan, to show "maximum flexibility."

Update of 6:25 p.m. -- the US' Rosemary DiCarlo takes the floor, expressing regret. We may now need to consider measures to deal with a Georgia without a UN presence. She says, "Abkhazia, Georgia" and thanks Johan Verbecke for his service. The man without a mission...

Update of 6:28 p.m. -- Vietnam says it abstained to allow negotiations. The UK's Deputy Permanent Representative says he "regrets' Russia's decision. He says the Abkhaz want the mission to stay, only Russia didn't.

Update of 6:32 p.m. -- Japan's Amb. Takasu speaks of humanitarian issues, and "disappointment." There was no reason, he says, to have dropped the reference to Resolution 1808. Croatia follows suit. Uganda calls UN presence "on the ground... vital."

Update of 6:40 p.m. -- Costa Rica's Urbina speaks of the "Grupos de Amigos." Mexico's Heller also laments the end of the Mission.

Update of 6:47 p.m. -- Libya's Deputy has that any activity on behalf of UN must have the agreement of "all parties of the United Nations." So, my delegation abstained on the vote, he says.

Update of 6:49 p.m. -- Burkina Faso says "malgres tout," his delegation calls on all parties to try peaceful response. And now Turkey, the last member after the vote. Turkey co-sponsored the attempted roll over, that Russia vetoed.

Update of 6:51 p.m. -- now Georgia's ambassador speaks, that a single member has killed the mission. He refers to "Russia's invasion last summer."  The occupied region of Georgia is the phrase he uses. He says without UNOMIG there will be less objective information. It is evidence that Russia does not wish to have evidence, he says. Sound like Sri Lanka....
 
  Expect Russia to reply.

Update of 6:56 p.m. -- here comes Churkin, using his right of reply. For many years now, we were very patient, in listening to Georgia. Abkhaz representatives were not given an opportunity to tell the Council their position. I could be critical of the statement of the Georgia representative, there is not enough time.

  But he takes on two or three colleagues. Contrary first the French -- Churkin says all that was at issued today was a draft, on a technical rollover. Then against two unnamed members -- no one mentioned Georgia's aggression, he says. At 7:02, that's it -- to the stake out!

Update of 7:50 p.m. -- And after the veto and the abstentions, the doomed resolution's proponents took to the stakeout microphone. Absent, it seemed, was Turkey. Inner City Press asked the UK Deputy Permanent representative for the basis of his statement that the Abkhaz favored the continuation of the mission. He said it was UK sources there. But did they oppose inclusion of a reference to resolution 1808 in the resolution? In the ultimate big resolution, yes they did oppose, was the answer. The implication was that the Abkhaz could have lived with 1808 in the roll-over resolution that Russia vetoed.

Inner City Press put the question to Russia's Churkin, who said that Russia is in touch with the Abkhaz, and that it was a shame that the Council never heard from the Abkhaz authorities. As he began speaking, the US' Rosemarie DiCarlo was whispering to some reporters over the stakeout barricade. Churkin indicated that she should be more quiet or move further away. "We are a rules based community," he said.

Churkin praised (former?) Abkhazia envoy Johan Verbecke as a good colleague. Inner City Press asked the proponents what happens next with Verbeke. You have to ask the UN, Amb. DiCarlo answered.

Finally Georgia's Ambassador came out, saying that "one country" had blocked everything. Inner City Press first asked if he stood behind his allegation that Russia blackmailed Ban Ki-moon into changing his report on Abkhazia, to drop the name of Georgia. Yes I do, he said, adding that the day's result showed that Russia couldn't blackmail the whole international community. He again said, one country alone blocked it. Inner City Press asked, what about the abstainers. He replied that each of them had expressed support for territorial integrity. Note that Russia does too, some of the time -- and the proponents didn't, at least when it came to Kosovo.

 Like we said, selective sovereignty. 

* * *

* * *