At
UN
on
Korea, China Agreed to Condemn Nov 23 Shelling, US Blew Up
Deal
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee, Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
December
20 -- China would have agreed on December
19 to
condemn the shelling on November 23 by the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea and the escalation which took place afterward,
numerous UN Security Council sources told Inner City Press on
December 20.
The
sources
describe a moment in which China agreed to language the word
“condemn” applied to North Korea's shelling of November 23. They
said they expected US Ambassador Susan Rice, president of the Council
this month, to immediately gavel to seal the agreement.
Instead
they
said,
Ambassador Rice asked China, “Do you have instructions?”
Whereupon China said it would seek to confirm that it could agree. Some
surmise that the US was not prepared to agree to this compromise
language, introduced by Russia.
Cynics
say
that
the US did not want an agreement.
Similarly,
while
Russia's
Vitaly Churkin said that all 15 Council members want
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to appoint an envoy to the Korean
peninsula, and Ambassador Rice did not disagree, it is said that
neither South Korea nor Japan are keen on the idea of an envoy at
this time, in part because it might be interpreted as “rewarding
bad behavior” by the DPRK. Ban is obviously partial to this view.
At
the December 20
UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban's acting Deputy
Spokesman Farhan Haq if Ban, based on the public statements of
Russia's Churkin and the US' Susan Rice on December 19, is now moving
to appoint an envoy to Korea.
Susan Rice, Churkin & rest of P-5, blown up DPRK
deal not shown
Haq
replied
repeatedly that only if the Council instructs Ban, via a Press
Statement, will he do so. At an event on the evening of December 20,
several Council diplomats expressed to Inner City Press surprise as
Ban's resistance. Watch this site.
* * *
At
UN
on
Korea, 8 Hours Result in No Statement, Calls for Ban Envoy, ROK
Exercise
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December
19 -- After eight
hours of Korea meetings, the UN
Security Council was unable to agree to any press statement. Council
President Susan Rice said that while “most members” agreed to
condemn North Korea for the November 23 island shelling, “consensus
was not possible.” This was China, according to numerous Western
diplomats.
Russia's
Vitaly
Churkin
against blamed the Council Presidency for denying his request
for as Saturday rather than Sunday meeting, saying that would have
given more time to reach an agreed statement before the military
exercises South Korea has scheduled for Monday.
Inner
City
Press
asked Ambassador Rice to respond to Churkin's statement about the
denied meeting. She answered that several important Council members
had asked for more time. In a seemingly contradictory answer, she
said that since nothing had been agreed to since November 23, an
extra day would not have made a difference. But why then was “more
time” before a Saturday meeting needed?
Both
Vitaly
Churkin
and Susan Rice said that all 15 members want Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon to name an envoy to the Korean peninsula. Inner
City Press asked Churkin if Ban should wait for a Council statement
before doing so, and Churkin said no. One wonders why Ban hasn't
already named an envoy.
Susan Rice and UN's Ban, Korea envoy not yet shown
Ban
Ki-moon did not
come to the Security Council on Sunday. His senior adviser Kim
Won-soo and DPA chief Lynn Pascoe both did, but neither spoke to the
press. The military exercise might start within hours. We'll see.
Footnote:
The
Security
Council has a full program on Monday, including naming
chairs of committees (Inner City Press reported on Friday about the
Portugal versus Bosnia fight for the Working Methods committee) and
Cote d'Ivoire, where sources tell Inner City Press Ouattara has
written to the Council contradicting Laurent Gbagbo's requests for
the UN to leave. What a month -- and it's not over. Watch this site.
