By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/eu2treki031010.html
UNITED NATIONS, March 10 -- The President of the UN General Assembly Ali Treki has "reminded" Switzerland of its duty to respect the Vienna Convention on diplomatic immunity and the right to travel, three weeks after Inner City Press exclusively reported and then asked about Treki being on a Swiss and thus EU / Schengen group travel ban list.
In a cryptic statement issued Tuesday night, Treki's spokesman Jean Victor Nkolo said
"Answering a ['lingering'] question regarding relations between Libya and Switzerland, the Spokesperson of the Presidency of the United Nations General Assembly, indicated that the President of the General Assembly is following the deterioration in the relationship between the two countries. He emphasized that the President of the General Assembly stresses the need to resolve this dispute in a manner that upholds the principles of international law and respects the international agreements, in particular the Vienna Convention on diplomatic immunities and privileges, and the right of all individuals for free movement in accordance United Nations norms and standards."
Inner City Press asked Nkolo is this was belated confirmation that the PGA's office knows, as Inner City Press was told and as Italy implicit confirmed, that Treki is on Switzerland's Schengen travel ban notice. The usually effusive Nkolo said that "the statement speaks for itself."
Inner City Press was told by a well placed source that due to concerns about the list, the PGAs office asked Switzerland if Treki was still free to travel to Geneva, and got an affirmative answer. But the rest of the Schengen group? Why is Italy mentioning Treki when it asks for Switzerland to modify the list it sent out?
The irony here is that Switzerland's ire is directed at Gaddafi for its imprisonment of two Swiss businessmen in retaliation Switzerland acting on physical abuse by Gaddafi's son in Switzerland. But Treki is not getting along with Libya's mission to the UN. Because he was formerly Libya's foreign minister, he was put on the list. Treki is in a very delicate position, especially given that his PGA mandate expires in September. Paraphrasing Tom -- and not Alejandro -- Wolfe, can you go home again?
Meanwhile, with Treki slated to travel to Seoul, the story is that he will be speaking about the G-20 and South Korea's upcoming chairmanship and meeting. South Korea, of course, is not part of the Schengen group...
Footnotes: later on March 9, the PGA's office issued a press statement about Treki's meeting with the son of Gabon's long time dictator Omar Bongo, Ali Bongo, now president. Earlier on March 9, the International Peace Institute barred from Ali Bongo's presentation journalists and others who had RSVP-ed. Much demand for the dictator!
And see, www.innercitypress.com/eu2treki031010.html
