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?
