By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, October 21 -- As Ambassadors poured into the General Assembly to vote on five Security Council seats for the next two years, the Morocco versus Mauritania race continued to get more heated.
A well placed Permanent Representative of an African Union country told Inner City Press his instructions were to "vote with the AU in the first round" -- that is, Mauritania and Togo -- but after that to go with the "better placed" between Morocco and Mauritania.
Another major AU member said it would vote the AU duo in every round. But some say they hope either Mauritania or Morocco will drop out, to make sure that sub Saharan Africa is represented, "if only by Togo" as one Ambassador put it.
Covering this race, as well as the three way fight among Slovenia, Hungary and Azerbaijan and the contest between Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan was made more difficult by the simultaneous scheduling of a photo op of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Swedish royal couple.
The Press was told it would have to leave the stakeout area in front of the General Assembly so that the 10:15 photo op could take place. After some push back, the area for photographers was enlarged. But still due to the mis-scheduling, fewer questions to Ambassadors than usual were possible.
GA entry, guards for Swedes, AU not shown, (c) MRLee
Of the Security Council's Permanent Five members, the UK's Mark Lyall Grant and China Li Baodong walked amiably in. The US was represented by its Deputy Permanent Representative Rosemary DiCarlo.
Sudan's Permanent Representative went in wearing flowing robes -- national dress, they call it at the UN -- while all members of Pakistan's delegation wore green badges with, in big letters, "PAKISTAN." Colombia's Nestor Osorio stopped and to his credit did an on camera interview, as it's said he did the day previously about the death of Gaddafi.
Libya was represented by Shalgam, who after being Gaddafi's foreign minister defected and represents the Transitional National Council.
As Ban waited at the top of the escalator for the Swedish royals, he greeted some diplomats, shaking hands with Sri Lanka's Palitha Kohona accompanied by Deputy Permanent Representative Shavendra Silva. When another Deputy asked, what's the ocassion, Ban quipped, "Waiting for you, of course." If unscripted, impressive. But everything is relative.
There will be further rounds of voting. Watch this site.
