At
UN
on Eritrea
Sanction,
Russia Says
Afwerki Should
Be
Invited Before
Vote
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 30 --
After a closed
door "showdown"
in
the Security
Council
between US
Ambassador
Rice and
Russian
Ambassador
Vitaly Churkin
about when and
how to vote on
proposed new
Eritrea
sanctions,
Inner City
Press asked
Ambassador
Rice if she
thought there
would be a
vote in the
afternoon on
Eritrea
sanctions.
Ambassador
Rice did not
stop or
answer.
Moments
later,
Russia's
Churkin
emerged from
the Council.
He spoke at
length with
the Press,
recounting
that "we had
some people
working on the
sanctions
resolution, on
and off... All
of the sudden
last night we
were told the
sponsors were
moving the
resolution in
blue,
voting...
today."
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.
Churkin
on
Wednesday
disagreed,
saying "there
is a 48 hour
rule.. but at
least 24
hours" between
putting a text
into blue and
voting on
it. He also
noted that
"more than a
month ago, the
president of
Eritrea asked
to address the
Security
Council. We
believe it is
his
right under
the UN
Charter."
Churkin
said
Afwerki's
request was
"consulted on
by President
of the
Council.
One delegation
was objecting.
We did not
precipitate
this issue, we
were not sure,
if they were
not in a hurry
on the
resolution...
But
under those
circumstances,
we think it
would just be
wrong to act
today on this
resolution. We
should
finalize
experts that
were
interrupted
and give a
chance to the
President of
Eritrea to
come to
New York."
Churkin
said that
Afwerki sent
"another
letter today
that he wants
to come and
speak before
the vote."
About the
draft, Churkin
said, "we
have two or
three
concerns, some
other have
more, some
African
countries...
it's not some
kind of an
urgent matter
because of
some
crisis."
The
Council's
stated agenda
was a debate
on its Working
Methods.
Churkin said
on
Eritrea this
is "not a good
method of
work."
(c) UN Photo
Churkin in
Council,
Working
Methods not
shown
Inner
City Press
asked Churkin
why no
procedural
vote had been
called for
after
Ambassador
Rice blocked
granting
Afkerki's
request to
address the
Council.
Churkin
explained, "if
we were told a
vote is going
to
take place a
week from now,
we will go for
procedural
vote... Maybe
this is why
they rushed
into blue, not
to let him
come. I think
it is
a ridiculous
thing."
Moments
later,
Inner City
Press spoke
with Eritrea's
Permanent
Representative
to the
UN Araya
Desta. But
that's another
story - watch
this site.
, 
