By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, January 19 -- Items on the UN Security Council's agenda face deletion in a backroom process, as illuminated in a 2011 document exclusively obtained by Inner City Press.
Of the 86 matters on the Council's agenda, 28 have not been taken up in a formal meeting in the last three years and therefore face deletion unless a member state speaks up before February 28. This currently pending so called “Seizure List” is attached, here.
Meanwhile, Security Council members have been asked if they want to delete any of the more recent 58 items, even if they have been the subject of meetings in the last three years.
One could imagine Russia asking to remove Item Number 10, “The situation in Georgia,” first raised in 1992 but last considered on June 15, 2009, when Russia blocked continuation of the Mission and even discussion in the Council for the past year and a half.
Now that the UN Mission in Nepal has unceremoniously left that country, will it remain on the Council's agenda? Or might India make a request to take it off?
“The situation between Eritrea and Ethiopia,” Item Number 21, has not been discussed since July 30, 2008, when the UNMEE Mission left with the border dispute unacted on.
The “Situation in Myanmar,” Item Number 46, has not been the subject of any formal Security Council session since July 13, 2009. Ban Ki-moon has yet to act on the widespread request, in the last informal meeting, that he name a full time envoy to Myanmar to replace Vijay Nambiar.
Countries fight hard to keep matters off the agenda of the Security Council, which can impose sanctions and authorize the use of force. Thus, even as tens of thousands of civilians were killed in Sri Lanka in 2009, Russia, China and others fought to keep it off the agenda.
Some matters are on the agenda, but have not been discussed in years. Facing deletion from the Seizure List, unless as usual a member state speaks up, are for example
“The Hyderabad question” (Item 61, raised in September 1948 and last discussed in 1949);
“Complaint by Ukraine regarding the decree of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation concerning Sevastapol” (Item 79, first raised AND last discussed on July 20, 1993);
“The situation between Iran and Iraq” (Item 72, raised in September 1980 and last discussed in 1991);
the “Kimberly Process Certification scheme” (Item 82, only discussed once, in 2003);
numerous letters and complaints from Cuba (Items 63, 64, 67);
“Letter dated 19 April 1988 from the Permanent Representative of Tunisia to the UN” (item 76, first raised on April 21, 1988 and last discussed four days after that on April 25, 1988).
With the current turmoil in Tunisia, one wag suggested, perhaps this last obscure item could be revived.
Inner City Press asked a well placed non-Permanent Security Council member about the lists, which he said may later be consolidated. He pointed out that at least some items do get deleted, mentioning Angola and Libya.
The debate now, he said, is whether and how these lists should be publicized to the wider UN membership. Some countries, knowing the process, have form letters ready to keep “their” items alive on the agenda. But the others?
At an on the record briefing on January 18, Portugal's Ambassador acknowledged to Inner City Press that while Bosnia beat his country out to head the Working Group on Working Methods for this year, Portugal has been promised the chairmanship next year.
These seizure lists, and how they are disseminated to the wider UN membership, are the type of procedural issue that Portugal says it has worked and wants to work on. We'll see.
