By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, October 28 -- The UN is best described as a club of nation states. There are, however, exceptions: non-state actors which are treated for some purposes as states. This is the case of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Back on September 25 when Dervis Eroglu of the TRNC took questions from the Press after a photo op / meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Inner City Press asked on camera about UN special part time envoy Alexander Downer, and off camera about what type of UN identification pass the TRNC diplomats were using.
On October 27 the question was answered. Among with meeting the Ambassador or Permanent Representative of the TRNC, Inner City Press spoke with the TRNC's Sertac Guven, whose business card listed him as “Third Secretary” with an address on the 9th floor of 821 UN Plaza, home of the UN Mission of Turkey. Both had “D” or diplomatic passes to the UN - in the name of “Turkish Cypriot Community.”
Inner City Press asked what other non-state actors have this special status. Guven said there was at least one other, but he couldn't remember the name. (The Polisario Front of Western Sahara comes to mind.)
As to the TRNC, Inner City Press is told that its special UN status dates back to 1968, and that Pakistan and Bangladesh, proponents of partition, briefly expressed the intention to recognized the TRNC around 1973, before US pressure made them retract the intention to recognize. A Turkish diplomat tells Inner City Press Turkey did not favor the recognitions, as it would indicate a point of no return, the end of negotiations -- and of leverage?
While the TRNC cannot speak in the General Assembly or Security Council, because of the UN's involvement in their talks with the Greek Cypriots, it's said that two parties are treated as equals while on UN land. So it's a social club of sovereign states - with at least two exceptions.
This might explain, for example, the reluctance of Colombia to allow the UN, even such offices as that on Children and Armed Conflict, to speak with rebels like the FARC.
And so more and more questions. Why not Somaliland? Until last year, why not Tamil Eelam? The questions could go on and on. And they are questions we'll pursue -- watch this site.
Footnote: this week the UN was asked about widespread reports that staff of part time envoy Alexander Downer was the source of the leak of UN Department of Political Affairs documents about Cyprus. UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said he had never heard of the controversy, leaving both Turkish and Greek journalists shaking their heads. We'll have more on this.
