By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, December 20 -- China would have agreed on December 19 to condemn the shelling on November 23 by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the escalation which took place afterward, numerous UN Security Council sources told Inner City Press on December 20.
The sources describe a moment in which China agreed to language the word “condemn” applied to North Korea's shelling of November 23. They said they expected US Ambassador Susan Rice, president of the Council this month, to immediately gavel to seal the agreement.
Instead they said, Ambassador Rice asked China, “Do you have instructions?” Whereupon China said it would seek to confirm that it could agree. Some surmise that the US was not prepared to agree to this compromise language, introduced by Russia.
Cynics say that the US did not want an agreement.
Similarly, while Russia's Vitaly Churkin said that all 15 Council members want Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to appoint an envoy to the Korean peninsula, and Ambassador Rice did not disagree, it is said that neither South Korea nor Japan are keen on the idea of an envoy at this time, in part because it might be interpreted as “rewarding bad behavior” by the DPRK. Ban is obviously partial to this view.
At the December 20 UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban's acting Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq if Ban, based on the public statements of Russia's Churkin and the US' Susan Rice on December 19, is now moving to appoint an envoy to Korea.
Haq replied repeatedly that only if the Council instructs Ban, via a Press Statement, will he do so. At an event on the evening of December 20, several Council diplomats expressed to Inner City Press surprise as Ban's resistance. Watch this site.
