By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, November 30 -- While on Eritrea sanctions the US and Gabon continued pushing Wednesday afternoon for a vote later in the day, more opposition to the push became public.
Chinese Permanent Representative Li Baodong, on his way into the consultations, told Inner City Press, "We reject any effort to push for action." He added, "Let the President of Eritrea come to present his statement."
The request by Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea to "be given the audience to address the [UNSC] before any action is taken on the draft resolution" has been blocked by US Ambassador Susan Rice. Inner City Press asked UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant about Afwerki speaking.
"We have no objection," Lyall Grant said. Inner City Press asked if the UK would call for a procedural vote, which would require a simple majority with no veto powers. Lyall Grant said no, "We're not asking him to come, so there's no reason for us to ask... If those who particularly want him to come, I expect they'd call for a vote."
A number of Council members have told Inner City Press it would be a bad precedent to not grant the request of a head of state to address the Council, especially before sanctions. But who will call for that procedural vote? "It's better it's by consensus," one member told Inner City Press. But what deal might make the US move?
Update of 3:50 pm -- sources in the Council predict the vote pushed back "at least" to Monday, and President Afwerki being invited.
Meanwhile while it was said the US has on its side, among Council African members, not only Gabon but Nigeria, sources said that Nigeria either "wants more time" or "is flexible." We'll see.
The US cites the position of IGAD on Eritrea -- at the same time IGAD is telling Kenya to allow Omar al Bashir, indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide in Sudan, to visit without being arrested. If the US cites IGAD favorably for one position, does it agree with this second IGAD position? Watch this site.
