By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, October 21 -- While the Security Council set 3 pm Friday for the vote on its Yemen resolution, Portugal has contested the timing, Inner City Press has learned, out of respect for the General Assembly.
In the General Assembly the morning's voting for Security Council seats bled over into the afternoon, even after Togo beat Mauritania for the remaining African seat. Azerbaijan and Slovenia were set to face off against 3:30.
On that basis, Portugal said it would be wrong for Security Council to disrespect the General Assembly. Another Council member told Inner City Press that the United Kingdom was adamant about still holding the vote.
Portuguese Permanent Representative Cabral has said, when he joined the Security Council, that he would stick up for the General Assembly. On this he has followed through - a reason to have non-permanent members, and a model on this for incoming members.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Karman, anticipating the vote, is understood to have asked the Office of the Spokesperson for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for permission to hold a press conference, but was reportedly told, only if a member state sponsors it.
That may be an unwritten rule, but the same Office of the Spokesperson has refused in the past to tell Inner City Press which member state sponsored particular press conferences by non-governmental organizations or former prize winners.
Now they've cited the rule against the current Nobel Peace Prize winner who wanted to hold a press conference to speak against immunity, as provided by the Gulf Cooperation Council's initiative on Yemen.
Karman on Oct 18, Oct 21 to come, (c) MRLee
And so Ms. Karman will be signed into the UN as a guest, so that her voice and the voice of those she represents can be heard. Watch this site.
