By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, November 12 -- Five days after Jamaica's candidate for the International Court of Justice pulled ahead of Argentina's in the UN General Assembly, on November 12 Inner City Press was informed from Buenos Aires that Argentina, with class, had pulled out of the race. It will be confirmed on November 17.
In the archaic system by which International Court of Justice judges are elected, the UN Security Council and General Assembly voted again and again on November 7. Each body had to select a firth and final judge -- the same judge.
But while the Security Council stuck on nine for Argentina's Susana Ruiz Cerutti and six for Jamaica's Patrick Lipton Robinson, in the General Assembly Jamaica's Robinson rose in support. Just after noon he received 123 votes, versus only 69 for Argentina's Ruiz Cerutti.
As that meeting broke up to reconvene at 3 pm, numerous diplomats stopped to talk to Inner City Press. What sense does it make, one of them asked, for the Security Council to ignore what the full 193 members think? Why are the two bodies given equal weight when "we are all here," meaning in the General Assembly?
On the other hand, an Argentine argument made to Inner City Press is that this is not about countries about about legal systems: Commonwealth means common law.
Meanwhile an African diplomat in the General Assembly asked Inner City Press, And if the Jamaican gets a two thirds majority in the GA - what then? What, indeed.
Winning ICJ judge positions on November 6 were Kirill Gevorgian of Russia, with a perfect 15 votes in the Council's final round of the day, Joan E. Donoghue of the US and Mohamed Bennouna of Morocco, both with 14, and James Richard Crawford of Australia with 12.
In the Security Council, Argentina's Susana Ruiz Cerutti got just enough votes with nine, and Jamaica's Patrick Lipton Robinson did not, with seven.
But in the General Assembly, Jamaica's Robinson with 141 led Argentina's Ruiz Cerutti with 108. The vote, Security Council president Gary Qiunlan said, would continue on November 7.
In the hall diplomats from the General Assembly continued to talk up Jamaica, saying the African Group has a special relationship with CARICOM, and talking about the Commonwealth. (Want to guess where the UK comes down in this one?)
Throughout the day, Inner City Press jogged back and forth between the Council and Assembly chambers, as did for example the Jamaican Deputy Permanent Representative, and when the two bodies broke for lunch, the following story emerged.
A number of African Permanent Representatives said, it should be Jamaica. They asked, But will the Security Council go its own way?
Inner City Press has heard Susana Ruiz Cerutti speak, and she seems like a good candidate. And Argentina ran a more transparent than usual month atop the Security Council, and has big proposals for example on sovereign debt restructuring.
But how will this stand-off be resolved? Why did the candidates from the DR Congo and Madagascar get so few votes? The latter dropped out, the former was urged to. But until the Security Council agrees with the GA, the election is not finished.
Update of 4:10 pm:
On ICJ in GA, again more than five candidates got more than the required 97 votes. But Jamaica's candidate got 141 (up from 135), Argentina's only 116 (down from 134)
Update of 4:50 pm
On ICJ in UNGA, again more than 5 got more than 97. But Jamaica 138 (still up from 136), Argentine 108 (down from 116)
Inner City Press covered the more than 30 day stand-off in 2011 between candidates from Sierra Leone and Uganda, with the latter winning. At least they are voting - the new Free UN Coalition for Access has noted that the correspondents (or now censors') association UNCA has entirely non-competitive annointments, this time with the return of the censor in chief. Click here for that, and watch this site.
