As
Eritrea
Sanctions
Delayed to
Monday, Rice
Says "Gabon
Was Flexible"
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 30,
updated below
-- After a
"highly
charged"
Security
Council
consultation
on when and
how to vote on
Eritrea
sanctions, US Ambassador
Susan Rice
emerged
Wednesday
afternoon. She
told Inner
City Press
exclusively,
"I think the
Gabonese were
incredibly
generous, to
give all
members time
to get to
instructions,
I think going
to Monday is
the latest
reasonable."
The
US
and Gabon,
which put the
draft
resolution
"into blue"
late Tuesday,
had been
pushing for a
fast vote on
Wednesday. But
among others,
Russia said
that was too
fast.
Chinese
Permanent
Representative
Li Baodong, on
his way into
the
consultations,
told Inner
City Press,
"We reject any
effort to push
for action."
He added, "Let
the President
of Eritrea
come to
present his
statement."
Inner
City Press
asked Rice
about Afwerki
coming, which
the US had put
a block on (Rice earlier
explained her
reasons to
Inner City
Press). Now
Rice said, "this
was discussed
formally for
the first time
today since it
was first
raised back at
the end of
October on the
program of
work. No
member state
until today,
when we were
talking about
the timing of
the vote,
raised any
interest in
pushing the
Isaias
request."
Earlier
on Wednesday,
Inner City
Press asked
Russian
Ambassador
Vitaly 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."
Rice
said, "the
United States
as host
country is
obliged to
issue a visa,
so let's see
if he comes."
She
reiterated her
view that it
is "redundant
and likely
counterproductive
to have a
spectacle in
the Security
Council in
which heads of
state make
emotional
statements on
the eve of-on
the same day
as the vote."
(A partial
transcript by
the US Mission
to the UN is
below.)
The
outgoing
Portuguese
presidency
told Inner
City Press
they are
figuring out
how to make
the
invitation.
Eritrean
representatives
told Inner
City Press it
is a "short
turn around
time." Given
the stakes,
one expected
Afwerki to
come -- and
others from
the region.
There
is a larger
regional
dynamic at
issue: whether
Jean Ping will
get a second
term as head
of the African
Union, or be
replaced by
for example
Jacob Zuma of
South Africa.
A
representative
of one of
Eritrea's
neighbors came
to complain to
Inner City
Press that
"South Africa
is pressuring
us to vote as
Zuma says" --
that is,
Nkosozana
Dlamini Zuma,
former SA
Foreign
Minister &
current SA
Home Affairs
Minister --
"nd now it's
just sour
grapes on
their part.
They need to
decide if they
are with the
BRICS or with
Africa."
Others would
say it's not
either / or.
(c) UN Photo
Sudan Rice in
the Council,
flexible
Gabonese not
shown
Inner
City Press
asked Rice to
respond to
what Eritrea's
UN Ambassador
Araya Desta
told it, that
"It is crazy
to penalize
the Eritrean
people in
order to get a
second term
for Jean Ping
as
commissioner
of the African
Union...
Meles [Zenawi]
tells him,
I'll help you
get a second
term, if you
help" put more
sanctions on
Eritrea.
Rice
paused and
called this
"weird
speculation...
Jean Ping is
running for a
second term,
South Africans
have a
candidate."
Some
wonder, how
much of this
is about the
AU race?
Rice
concluded that
the vote will
take place
Monday and
again, "the
Gabonese were
very flexible
and generous."
And so it goes
at the UN.
Update:
here is the US
Mission to the
UN's
transcription:
Inner
City
Press; What
about
President
Afwerki
coming?
AMBASSADOR
RICE:
First of all,
as you know,
this was
discussed
formally for
the first time
today since it
was first
raised back at
the end of
October on the
program of
work. No
member state
until today,
when we were
talking about
the timing of
the vote,
raised any
interest in
pushing the
Isaias request
. As you know,
if a head of
state chooses
to come to the
United
Nations, the
United States
as host
country is
obliged to
issue a visa,
so let's see
if he comes.
Inner
City
Press: What
about the
other ones
[i.e. other
regional
countries]?
AMBASSADOR
RICE:
Same for any
of them. We
still think
it's redundant
and likely
counterproductive
to have a
spectacle in
the Security
Council in
which heads of
state make
emotional
statements on
the eve of-on
the same day
as the vote.
But if that's
what they
choose to do,
it'll happen,
and we'll vote
on Monday.
, 
