By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 2 -- After
the
US put its
Sudans draft
resolution
"into
blue" on April
30, even on
May 1 there
were further
consultations
and changes.
On May 2 in
front of the
Security
Council,
Chinese
Permanent
Representative
Li Baodong
told the Press
that a change
had been made
-- Article 41
sanctions only
"if
necessary."
With that, he
said, China
would vote
yes.
Inner
City Press
asked US
Ambassador
Susan Rice if
the draft
resolution in
blue had
been modified.
She nodded and
answered,
"Very little,
it's a
good text."
Unanimous
adoption
has been
brought about.
Russia's
Ambassador
Vitaly Churkin
told the
press that he
would be
voting yes,
"because of
the African
Union" and its
request. He
said Russia
would make a
statement
expressing
reservations.
South
Sudan
representative
Agnes Oswaha
told Inner
City Press
that Article
41 is
still in "but
not
explicitly."
She entered
the Security
Council with
her
ministerial
delegation
including Deng
Alor, who has
said that the
negotiations
with Khartoum
have to go
beyond the
Thabo
Mbeki process
and have more
teeth.
Sudan's
Permanent
Representative
walked into
the Council in
a bright white
suit. One
expects
another round
of dueling
stakeouts
after the
vote. What
about
the damage at
Heglig?
Separately
-- or
not -- the
buzz in front
of the
Security
Council
Wednesday
morning
was that the
proposed lists
of 40 new
entities to be
put on the
North
Korea
sanctions
list, whittled
by China down
to two, was
now up to
three, with a
silence
procedure
running until
noon on
Wednesday.
Questions were
posed to
entering
Ambassadors
but those
asked, did not
answer.
Footnote:
Azerbaijan,
May's
President of
the Security
Council, had a
press
conference on
May's program
of work
scheduled for
12:30, the
normal
time. But then
it was listed
as "canceled."
One wonders if
that means
postponed
until the
Sudan
resolution
dust settles.
Every
other recent
president has
done such a
presser. Watch
this site.
