Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS, February 18 -- The UN Security Council's debate about Kosovo on Monday was predictable, with the U.S. and European members favoring recognizing independence and Russia, China and the president of Serbia calling it a dangerous precedent and asking Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to deem it illegal under the Council's Resolution 1244 of 1999. It ended without output and was the Council's third meeting on Kosovo in five days, Inner City Press stories on previous meetings here, here and here. For Monday, we turn to... rostrum-gate, or another symbolic Serbian loss.
While the president of Serbia on Monday fruitlessly pleaded with the UN Security Council member and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to declare Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence illegal, outside the Council chamber a dark-wood rostrum was rolled up to the stakeout, for Mr. Ban to speak at. Other speakers at the stakeout, including Ban's predecessor Kofi Annan, have simply used the stand-up microphone. But last year Ban deployed a music stand to put his notes on, and now a full rostrum has been custom-built. Inner City Press asked the staffers who rolled it in when it was made, and was told five months ago. "It is only for the Secretary General," one of the staffers said. This would prove to be true. Left unanswered for now is whether, if built outside of the UN, the lowest bidder was sought and selected, a small but perhaps telling detailed. This rostrum is larger than any previous one at the UN stakeout.
Sunday, Inner City Press asked Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, about his legal argument that Kosovo's declaration is illegal, who is Russia asking to rule on the issue? Ban Ki-moon, was the answer. Video here. But Monday was Ban was asked, as the second of only two questions allowed, if Kosovo's move was legal or not, Ban said he was not here to say if it is legal or not. Then his deputy spokesperson said, that was the last question, claiming that the president of Serbia was waiting. Video here.
As it turned out, it was Serbia's young foreign minister Vuk Jeremic who came to speak. He stood behind the rostrum and prepared. Then they tried to pull the rostrum away from him. He clung to it. From the journalists' side of the stakeout, one wag -- okay, this one -- said that the rostrum belongs to member states. Another joked that it must be a virgin rostrum, or at least monogamous. Serbia's foreign minister, twenty five seconds into his presentation, said he needed a microphone. Video here. The Serbs lost not only Kosovo but even the lectern. Call it rostrum-gate.
