By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 28, updated -- The Kosovo compromise reached past 6 pm on Thursday involved Serbian foreign minister Vuk Jeremic being offered a meeting not with the full Security Council but only its outgoing president, Peter Wittig of Germany.
Serbia had asked for an emergency meeting on the clashes on its border with Kosovo. But this was not granted.
Jeremic entered the Council at 6:27 pm, and came out a mere 13 minutes later. He strode to the Security Council stakeout position, but found that the UN TV camera was being disassembled. “Talk about a diss,” one wag whispered.
(Jeremic spoke for three minutes without UNTV, with Inner City Press filming -- click here for video on YouTube. Inner City asked a question, but Jeremic did not answer it. Later UNTV said it would re-set up its camera. But most of the remaining media left.)
France Ambassador Gerard Araud as he came out of the Security Council told the Press that there would have been a meeting if a Security Council member had asked for one. “Russia pleaded for a meeting,” Araud said, “but didn't ask for it.”
(Araud similarly said, as he took over the Council presidency for May, that Russia had not raised the issue of how to investigate alleged organ trafficking by Kosovo's highest officials. It was in Russia's speech that month, and since then Russia has proffered a draft resolution on the topic.)
A Balkan source told Inner City Press that inside Araud said by contrast, there are 2000 people killed in Syria. This was an implied dig at Russia's opposition to a resolution on Syria, and shows how Security Council issues are connected.
Portugal's Permanent Representative Cabral, who proposed the first compromise of Thursday's closed consultation, told Inner City Press that this deal was more nuanced, with the UNMIK report being moved up - to August 5, Inner City Press is told - and then a moved-up meeting.
Inner City Press asked, but is it true the UNMIK report doesn't cover the time period of the border clash? Cabral said that the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations could supplement the report. We'll see.
