At OSCE Debate, Syria Leads to Absences & Mentions, Ban Panned

By Matthew Russell Lee, News Muse

UNITED NATIONS, February 9 -- Thursday's Security Council debate on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe was as interesting, if it was, for who was not there as for who was.

Of the Council's Permanent Five members, Vitaly Churkin of Russia was the only Permanent Representative present. He said that "some frozen conflicts" are no longer frozen -- i.e. Abkhazia and South Ossetia. But where were the other Permanent Representatives? One whispered to Inner City Press: "Syria."

Even though the Council debate was on OSCE - the E is for Europe - Syria was brought up, by Portugal and then by Eamon Gilmore, the OSCE chairman, taking off that hat and speaking and Ireland's foreign minister. Inner City Press waited afterward to ask him about Lithuania's block on Serbia as chair in 2014, but he'd headed straight to meet with Ban Ki-moon.

Ban's hastily announced idea of a joint UN - Arab League envoy and/or mission to Syria was not kindly reviewed. In one major country's mission to the UN, Ban's stakeout was watched on UN TV amid groans. "God, he's terrible," a diplomat there said, suggesting a "social media compaign" using the hashtag #FireBan. You heard it here first.

Still the OSCE debate had its moments, for example when Azerbaijan got to talk about Nagorno Karabakh. Only the 15 Council members could speak, so Moldova was not heard from for example, nor Kygyzstan which US deputy Rosemary DiCarlo brought up.

The action, as they say, was elsewhere. And it concerned Syria. Watch this site.

At UN, As Georgia Wins “Right to Return” Vote, Russia Cites Facts on Ground

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 29 -- The right to return was voted on at the UN on Wednesday: the right of internally displaced people to return to Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia's Permanent Representative Lomaia spoke first, followed by Russian Deputy Permanent Representative Pankin, who said these are now independent states and that Georgia will just have to deal with it.

Perhaps because of the resonance of the concept of the right to return, Georgia's resolution passed with 57 for (compared to 50 last year), 74 abstaining and 13 against (compared to 17 last year).

Afterward Ambassador Lomaia stood outside the General Assembly, in the same spot where earlier this year he told Inner City Press that Russian lobbying had played a role in Georgia not winning a seat on the Human Rights Council.

This time he was upbeat. Inner City Press asked him which four countries which voted with Russia last year broke away this time. “Nauru, Solomon Islands, PNG,” he said, referring to Papua New Guinea. The first of these was rumored to be trading recognition of breakaway states; a similar deal with Vanuatu recently fell through.

But one wonders what the resolution, like most General Assembly actions, accomplishes. As Russia's Pankin said, there are “facts on the ground.”

The representative of one of those voting with Russia, who asked Inner City Press that he not be identified (the list ranges from Syria and Serbia through Sri Lanka to Myanmar, Laos, Armenia and Sudan, as well as three leftist Latins) said his “no” vote was because his country believes in the Geneva talks, “everything must be negotiated.”

Inner City Press asked, why not abstain, then? That's weak, the representative said. Stand up and be counted.

Footnote: Belarus stood up and spoke before the vote, then said it “would not participate.” And it did not even abstain. Afterwards a wag outside the GA noted Inner City Press' Tweet about Russia cutting off electricity to Belarus. “You don't do that to your partner if you want their vote,” said the wag. But again, what effect does it have?

As Russia Denies Paulson's "Dump Fannie Mae" Story, Chinese Tricks Explored

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/unrus1paulson020210.html

UNITED NATIONS, February 2 -- Buried in the just released memoir of former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is the allegation that in August 2008 Russia asked China to join with it in dumping on the market the securities of Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac.

While Paulson does not draw the connection, it was in August 2008 that Russia's conflict with Georgia about the territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia flared up into a war. The U.S. Administration jumped to Georgia's defense, at least verbally, and according to Paulson, Russia try to lure China into a "dump the GSEs" campaign. As it turned out, Russia did sell its over $60 billion stake in the two mortgage giants.

Inner City Press asked a senior Russian representative to the UN about Paulson's story on February 2, as the Security Council met about its program of work for February. "I don't think so," the diplomat said.

Why then would Paulson tell the story? "We are getting closer with the U.S.," the diplomat said. "People get jealous." He went on, "We don't have a good relationship with China right now. The U.S. does not have a good relationship with China." He shrugged. "People don't want Russia and the U.S. to get along."

Paulson sources his story in "On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System" to the Chinese, bragging perhaps that they hadn't gone along with Russia's urging. So, in this view, was China trying to drive a further wedge between Russia and the U.S.?

At the time of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia conflict, through which Russia recognized both territories as countries independent from Georgia, China expressed unease. What if Tibet or Taiwan, or even Uighur Xinjiang Autonomous Region, were similar recognized by another state?

If Chinese officials did in fact pass dirt about Russia along to the U.S. Treasury Secretary, perhaps the disagreement about recognizing breakaway separatist states explains it. It's something that should be expected to be covered more in the media, as Paulson hawks his book. It is may arise further at the UN -- watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/unrus1paulson020210.html