In UNSC Race with Spain & NZ, Turkey At Waldorf Sings of "Peace at Home, Peace in the World"

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 15, more here -- On the eve of the vote at the UN to elect five new members to the Security Council, one of the candidates in the contested race, Turkey, held a reception at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

  Numerous diplomats milling around the Starlight Roof Ballroom marveled to Inner City Press at Turkey's bombing of the PKK while across the border Kobane is under siege. But even most of these predicted that Turkey would win a seat, citing the OIC, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and its 57 votes.

  Introduced by Turkish Ambassador Halit Cevik, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu thanked those in attendance, singling out his Spanish counterpart, then gave a short speech. He said, "Peace at home, peace in the world," which some found ironic. But again, that prediction.

  Turkey's swag bag, on the way out of the Waldoft, contained an Istanbul thermos, compared to New Zealand's UN Handbook, writing book and pen.

   Four weeks after New Zealand released its UN Handbook and talked up its race against Spain and Turkey for two seats on the UN Security Council, on October 10 Inner City Press ran into a familiar face in the UN pressing the Kiwis' cause: Jose Ramos-Horta.

  After winning the Nobel Peace Prize - today given to Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi - Ramos Horta served the UN most recently as envoy to Guinea Bissau.

  Ramos Horta greeted Inner City Press on October 10 on the second floor of the UN Conference Building, outside the General Assembly's meeting on Ebola. After some pleasantries, Inner City Press asked, What brings you through the UN?

  Ramos Horta replied that he is lobbying for New Zealand to win a Security Council seat. Asked about Turkey, he rolled his eyes, citing Erdogan. Others have wondered how the (in) action in Kobane may impact Turkey's chances. Anyway the area outside the Security Council has already been cleared of journalists and called the "Turkish Lounge."

 In the October 16 election, which of the three will be left out?

  Two years ago it was Finland, whose Permanent Representative gave Inner City Press an inflated vote count of 165 on the eve of the election. This has become urban legend and now no one makes predictions. But there is spin.

   New Zealand is a small country, but one which can relate to outsiders like Eritrea. The last time they were on the Council, they spoke up for Rwanda. They fought a war with Turkey, which has led to a bond. Still, the Kiwis were surprised when Turkey jumped into what would have been a “clean slate” with Spain.

  There should have been no surprise: Turkey feels itself a rising power, they paid for and branded the area outside the Security Council, previously open to the press, into a “Turkish Lounge.” But how will their crackdowns inside Turkey, and now reticence to join up with Obama's coalition against ISIS play?

  For the European Union, could the live with both Western European and Other Group seats going to non-EU members? Then again, it is pointed out, the EU spans three UN regional groups: WEOG, Eastern Europe and even the Asia Pacific Group, through Cyprus. So how could the UN tell its members how to vote? The election's set for October 16.

  In the next contested WEOG race in 2016 it's slated to be Sweden, the Netherlands and Italy; in 2018 it'll be Belgium, Israel and Germany. Inner City Press -- and as regards press freedom issues, the Free UN Coalition for Access -- will be covering these and other races: Fiji and Malaysia this time; in 2016, Kenya versus Seychelles, Thailand versus Kazakhstan. In 2017, Kuwait and Yemen face off; in 2018, Maldives and Indonesia. Watch this site, and this one.

Footnote: At least since 1961, New Zealand has produced a UN Handbook. Its new one was unveiled on September 12 at the country's UN mission on Third Avenue, in hardcopy and a smart phone app. There was Chardonnay and schmoozing, a handbook-themed chocolate bar (hopefully not bad karma, after Finland's Martti bar); and previously copies of the handbook. The 1961 edition listed the UN General Assembly's “Committee for the Unification and Rehabilitation of Korea, UNCURK.” Plus ca change.

   

In UNGA Run-Up, Laurent Fabius Goes All French, Cavusoglu All Turkish, 2 Jaafaris on UNTV Camera

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 19 -- While more than two dozen countries pledged support for Iraq against the Islamic State in the Security Council on September 19, who would speak on UNTV about it?

  For more than an hour the media was told that French foreign minister Laurent Fabius would be “coming to the stakeout” to take questions on UNTV. It was pushed back, then when finally Fabius emerged he rushed past the stakeout into the hallway, where he spoke only in French.

  So too with Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. When he emerged from the Security Council, he summoned Turkish media down the hallway for a private stakeout. Some non-Turkish journalists weren't allowed to go, something protested by the Free UN Coalition for Access. But why not openly take questions?

  The three on-camera stakeouts that occurred were bySyria's Bashar Ja'afari, Iraq's Foreign Minister Jaafari (no relation, if that needs to be said), and Canada's John Baird. To the last of these, Inner City Press asked if before any bombing in Syria consent should be sought from Damascus or the Council. That has “yet to be determined,” Baird replied.

  Iraqi FM Jaafari, when Inner City Press asked if the Coalition should speak with Syria, seemed to dodge the question. But at least he took questions on camera, as did Syria's Ja'afari. Where were the others? Is this how GA Week will be? FUNCA in is on the case, including aboutfaux UN press conferences like those held in the private club handed out by the UN to its Censorship Alliance. That group tried to get the investigative Press thrown out of the UN, now masquerades on media freedom. This is how the UN works. Watch this site.