On Sudan and ICC, Uganda Likes Deferral, Austria and Mexico Want Justice, Iceland Denounces UK
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/unga2scvote101708.html
UNITED NATIONS, October 17 -- Five new Security Council members were elected Friday at the UN, and afterwards these five, plus losing Iceland and the three Western Permanent Five members spoke to the media. Inner City Press asked questions of all nine speakers, mostly about Sudan but also about North Korea, Myanmar and the UK's freezing of Icelandic bank assets. On this last -- and also Friday's vote and broken promises of support -- Iceland is disappointed.
Uganda began, saying they will focus on the African continent. Inner City Press asked if Uganda supports the suspension or deferral of the International Criminal Court's prosecution against Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir. The Ugandan representative said his country supports -- and thus presumably would vote for -- a deferral of prosecution so that "justice can be reconciled with the need for stability." Video here, from Minute 1:23.
Inner City Press then ask French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, who had just praise the five new members, what he thought of Uganda's position, and about suspending the ICC's proceedings against Al Bashir. "Once again," he said, "it is a procedure internal to the ICC... no one has raised it in the Security Council." He added "if it were raised tomorrow, we would not vote in favor of it." Video here, from Minute 19:49. U.S. Ambassador Alejandro Wolff likewise said the suspending proceedings against Al Bashir is "not an issue to take up at this point" in the Council. Video here, from Minute 7:12.
Austria's Foreign Minister, after being asked about "right wing tendencies" in her country and saying the country's foreign policy will not change, was asked for her position on the ICC and Sudan. She said Austria supports the rule of law and is against impunity -- how surprising -- and supports the ICC and its work. Video here, from Minute 42:17. When Inner City Press asked then if there are any circumstances in which Austria would vote to suspend the process against Al Bashir, for example if indictee Ahmad Harun is arrested or even turned over to The Hague, she said "you will understand that I will not respond to questions formulated in a way not example the questions posed" and will not "speculate on specific voting patterns in the future." So the door is open.
Inner City Press asked the Mexican representative for his country's views, since there are so few Latin American issues on the Council's agenda, on how the UN should deal with the situation in Myanmar, and the ICC and Sudan. He said there's Haiti and there was Central America, but that Mexico will look broader. He said Mexico is committed to international justice. Video here, from Minute 45:18.
Footnotes: An interesting contrast, sadly out of sequence, can be found in the answers to Inner City Press of Iceland's Foreign Minister, who said the UK's freezing of Icelandic bank assets "under a terror law" was "not helpful" (video here, from Minute 23:48) and UK Ambassador John Sawers, who claimed that the problem "has been resolved between capitals" in a way that makes clear "the need to protect... invest[ors] in Iceland." Video here from Minute 4:54. If the UK believes in the rule of law, how can it freeze an unrelated Icelandic bank's assets, using an anti-terrorism law?
Inner City Press asked Japan's Ambassador if he thinks the Council has been doing enough on North Korea. He said that while the Six Party Talks are showing some promise, the Council should cast a "supportive eye." He spoke about the abduction issue and said while progress has been promised, it has not been forthcoming. Video here, from Minute 12:20. He didn't mention the fights North Korea and Japan have been having in the UN, during the General Debate and this week in the Third Committee. Click here for Inner City Press' story about Russia and Georgia and their war of words on October 16 in the Third Committee.
We will inquire further into this mystery, and that of the Turkish gifts including chocolate left on each seat in the General Assembly. According to the spokesman, gifts of any kind or value are legal up to the moment when the voting begins. Iceland's problem, one wag said, is that they at least temporarily didn't have the money to buy their way onto the Council. As their Foreign Minister said, like the New York Yankees of late, "maybe next time, maybe soon."
And see, www.innercitypress.com/unga2scvote101708.html
