By Matthew Russell Lee, News Muse
UNITED NATIONS, March 6 -- As Ghana celebrated its 55th national day in the UN tent facing the East River, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hosted a dinner for the Security Council facing out on First Avenue.
At Ghana's event, a trumpeter played as the Permanent Representatives of Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Fiji and Cameroon among others nibbled on fish and exchanged tales of the UN's unfairness.
Much of the talk centered on Ban Ki-moon's exclusion of the African Group from his recent appointments: handing the Tanzanian Asha-Rose Migiro's deputy post to a Swede while considering an Egyptian for the long unfilled Special Adviser on Africa post.
An expert from the Fifth (Budget) Committee said the American Joe Torsella seemed to be gunning for a post, perhaps the Department of Management job recently advertised in The Economist. "How could the US get DM as well as DPA?" demanded another delegate.
"If they ask for it they'll get it," said another, longer working in Ban's UN. A delegate stretching back to the era of Edward Koch marveled as Albania lobbied the EU representative. "That's how they do it," he said, adding that the EU asks its accession countries to sign off on statements two hours after they're send out. "They take us for granted," he said bitterly.
Austria's Thomas Stelzer, as reported, as given one more year. But what of the African Group, on this, Ghana's night? Watch this site.
