By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, June 17 -- Six weeks after the European Union won special rights in the UN General Assembly after months of opposition led by the Caribbean states group CARICOM, the struggle continued at the tail end of a General Assembly debate on the Millennium Summit.
After GA President Joseph Deiss allowed the European Union to speak, Deiss tried to end the meeting. But the Ambassador of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Camillo Gonsalves asked to take the floor.
He said, on behalf of Caricom, that the EU should not have been allowed to speak in the Explanation After the Vote section, since as a non member state, the EU had no vote.
Deiss said he “took note” of the statement, then again tried to end the meeting. The representative of Venezuela tapped her formica country name plate on her desk until Deiss begrudgingly gave her the floor.
After she said that Venezuela for the record supported CARICOM's objection, Deiss called hers a “declaration after a declaration,” and gaveled the meeting closed.
Afterward, Inner City Press asked Ambassador Gonsalves to explain. “There were to be no general statements,” he said. “The EU was inscribed to speak after the vote. A special provision was created by the chair for the EU, who didn't ask if anyone else wanted to speak in that way. As soon as the EU spoke, he shut it down.”
Ban Ki-moon & Ashton: "When Cathy met Ban Ki," 1 wants special rights, the other a 2d term
An EU member's Permanent Representative argued to Inner City Press that while St. Vincent should then have been allowed to make a general statement, if the EU did, there was nothing wrong with letting the EU make a general statement. But only the EU? When member states weren't allowed? This is why they were and are called special rights. Will the incoming President of the General Assembly, the Ambassador of Qatar who is to be elected on June 22, be so accommodating to the European Union? Watch this site.
