At
UN,
US Rice Pushes
Vote on
Eritrea
Santions,
Russia Says
No, S.
Africa Amends
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 30,
updated below
-- After a
draft
resolution to
impose more UN
Security
Council
sanctions on
Eritrea was
"put in blue"
at
5:30 pm on
Tuesday, the
Council
delayed a
planned 10 am
open debate
on its Working
Methods to
fight behind
closed doors
about voting
on
the sanctions.
As
Inner City
Press
exclusively
reported
Tuesday night,
US Ambassador
Susan Rice
said the
vote should
take place
Wednesday
since Gabon,
Nigeria and
the
regional IGAD
group want the
sanctions.
But
the other
African member
of the
Council, South
Africa,
questioned the
rush to
vote. Eritrean
president
Afwerki as
asked to speak
to the
Council.
Ambassador
Rice put on a
block, and as
of now no
other member
has
("dared to")
call for a
procedural
vote, which it
is
predicted Rice
would lose.
(c) UN Photo
Rice and the
14, Eritrea
vote not yet
shown
Most
Council
members spoken
to by Inner
City Press
feel that if
any head of
state
wants to speak
with the
Council,
especially
before
sanctions are
imposed, it
should be
allowed as a
matter of due
process and
precedent.
On
Wednesday
morning
sources told
Inner City
Press that
Russian
Ambassador
Vitaly
Churkin said
there should
be no vote on
the Eritrea
draft today.
South Africa
has
amendments.
Experts will
meet -- but
will Rice get
her way? Watch
this site.
Update
of
11:10 am:
Inner City
Press is told
that Russia's
Churkin told
Susan Rice, if
you put it to
a vote today,
it won't pass.
Watch this
site.
, 
