By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, October 13 -- The Security Council's slow charade of mulling Palestine's application for UN members continued Thursday in a three hour meeting in the Council's consultations room.
Afterward representatives of the "Strong Six" supporting Palestine expressed frustration, that those seeking delay spoke in circles and now wanted to refer the matter back up to the level of Permanent Representatives and then have it sent down again. One wag dubbed this "Palestine Ping Pong."
October's Security Council president Joy Ogwu of Nigeria told the press that the process is "arduous," and that the Committee might meet again as early as Friday. (Later when the Committee members left, several said the next meeting would be Monday at earliest.)
Inner City Press asked Ogwu if she expected the process at the experts' level to be completed during her presidency. She said she didn't know.
Palestinian Permanent Observer Riyad Mansour arrived after the meeting was over. He told Inner City Press, "This process will come to a conclusion soon."
Inner City Press asked him, "During the Nigerian presidency?"
"Yes," Mansour said or predicted. We'll see.
