By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 18
-- As the 67th
UN General
Assembly was
gaveled in by
new President
Vuk Jeremic on
Tuesday
afternoon,
much of the
talk was of
the two
contested
races for
seats on the
Security
Council
downstairs.
The
Permanent
Representatives
of Finland,
Luxembourg and
Australia,
which are
competing for
two Western
European &
Other Group
seats, were
all in the GA,
and chatting
afterward.
Luxembourg's
Permanent
Representative
spoke with her
French
counterpart --
some snark
that
Luxembourg on
the Council
would just be
another
France, and
there already
is one - while
Australia's
Permanent
Representative
walked with a
cowboy hatted
colleague.
"How
goes the
campaign?"
Inner City
Press asked.
Tough, one of
them answers.
But it's going
well, the
other Aussie
said.
Perhaps
unfairly,
Inner City
Press noted
Australia's
absence
earlier on
Tuesday when
Permanent
Representative
Raymond Wolff
of Jamaica did
a roll-call of
countries
which
sponsored
Jamaica
joining the UN
in 1962.
The UK missed
the first
call, too,
until Mark
Lyall Grant
ran upstairs
and made his
appearance.
One can't be
everywhere. Including,
as Canada
found out, on
the
Palestinian
question.
In
the Asian
Group there is
a competition
of three
countries, but
for a single
seat: South
Korea,
Cambodia, and
Bhutan, most
recently known
in the UN for
their campaign
on happiness.
Less happy,
but working
hard, Cambodia
is meeting the
African Group
tomorrow.
South Korea
has the Ban
Ki-moon card,
just as
Finland has
the Martti
Ahtisaari
card, as well
as chocolate
bar. Or
maybe NOT just
as.
Looking
ahead
-- way ahead
-- in 2020 in
the WEOG
group, Norway
will face off
with Ireland
and little San
Marino for two
seats. San
Marino has
never been on
the Council,
and that's an
argument that
sometimes
carries
weight. Watch
this site.
