By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, October 23 -- Wednesday was Disarmament Night in and across from the UN, with the Latin American nuclear free zone of the Treaty of Tlatelolco collecting its award, complete with classical music, sushi and four kinds of beer.
When the award was announced, the Free UN Coalition for Access pressed to that questions be allowed: for example on nuclear UK's use of the Malvinas Islands.
Wednesday night diplomats approached Inner City Press on both sides of First Avenue with their own tales of abuse by the UK and US, on the African nuclear free zone or Treaty of Pelindaba.
It is diplomatically stated that "the status of the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, controlled by the United Kingdom and used as a military base by the United States, with regard to the Treaty is unclear."
UNclear? If the US and UK are so high and mighty on nuclear proliferation, why not just commit to not landing there? Fueled by finger food and liquor, an African diplomat told Inner City Press neither country wants to say which of its ships are nuclear. "It's absurd," he said. In the UN's First Committee, this is heard at much, much length.
Inner City Press has been following the end of session rights of reply in the First Committee, usually involving North Korea taking on South Korea or Japan. North Korea wins many of these skirmishes: their speaker is articulate and sassy, for example asking South Korea to "talk to its master" -- the United States -- if it has the courage, or ask another to do it.
In the time allotted after 6 pm, Inner City Press has been live-tweeting these exchanges, and getting responses. Some agree the North Koreans are well trained, and others don't. There's talk of the South Korean mission melting down last year at how they were losing the exchanges, and of a trash-talk school.
Down at the disarmament award reception on the UN's first floor Wednesday night, talk turned to the Nuclear Free Middle East proposals, and Saudi Arabia's renunciation of a Security Council seat. Was it about Israel, on this, or Iran? The consensus was Iran. And we'll have more on that tomorrow. Watch this site.
