Russia Brings South Ossetia to UN, Churkin Calls EULEX in Kosovo "Deplorable," Criticizes Ban Ki-moon

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un1geokos070808.html

UNITED NATIONS, July 8 -- While the other members of the UN Security Council took positions on Zimbabwe, Russia spoke out on two controversies more important to it, in Georgia and Kosovo. After a weekend of explosions to Georgia's two breakaway republics, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Russia on Tuesday introduced a draft resolution calling on Georgia to commit to the "non-use of violence."

The draft "deplores the recent bombing of the city of Tskhinvali" in South Ossetia. Inner City Press asked Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin if this resolution would make Council "seized" of South Ossentia, as it is of Abkhazia. Churkin said there is an "informal division of labor" under which the OSCE is responsible for South Ossetia, but added, "you will understand there is a political interconnection" between shelling of South Ossentia and Abkhazia, which says it too is the target of Georgian "terrorism." Video here, from Minute 9:14.

While UK Ambassador John Sawers minutes later joked about an "informal division of labor" between himself and South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, another Western diplomatic, decidedly not joking, posited that Russia will try to trade not vetoing the pending Zimbabwe sanctions for votes for its Georgia resolution. Amb. Churkin said there is no linkage. He also said that "every military action causes a military response, that is what military people are about."

Scarcely mentioned was the UN's current experts group in the region, led by Bertrand Ramcharan, who met with Georgia's Ambassador to the UN Irakli Alasania. The group's initial mandate has been outstripped by events. Given Ramcharan's recent musings about preventive diplomacy, the group's report-back should be of interest, if it is ever made public. Watch this space.

Amb. Churkin returned to the stakeout to denounce comments by EUFOR in Kosovo that it will report only to Brussels. Churkin called this illegal and deplorable. Inner City Press asked to whom in Russia's view EULEX should report. "EULEX will be supervised in Brussels as well," Churkin said, but it must "recognize the responsibility as UNMIK," the UN Mission. Video here, from Minute 5:20.

Inner City Press asked if Russia thinks UNMIK should engage with the Kosovar Serb institutions emerging in the north part of Kosovo. "Absolutely," Churkin said, "the Serbs are the aggrieved party now, it is the responsibility of UNMIK" to deal with them.

UNMIK's spokesman has been quoted that "We have not started cooperating with parallel structures and we do not plan to cooperate." We'll see. There is also an open question of where the long-promised report on the retaking of the courthouse in North Mitrovica is. Churkin was asked if Russia's unhappiness about moves around Kosovo might cost Ban Ki-moon a second term as Secretary-General. Churkin's answer included noting that "I haven't been able to speak with him." During Ban's extensive travels, most recently five days in South Korea, that's been true on a number of issues, including UN corruption and reform, and some brewing Chad and Sudan issues.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1geokos070808.html