By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, September 1 -- As at the "Friends of Libya" meeting in Paris, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his most special adviser Ian Martin try to put the UN and its views at the center, in New York Chinese Permanent Representative Li Baodong told Inner City Press China thinks "the conflict must be stopped, including NATO's bombing."
Martin, in his August 22 report to Ban that Inner City Press exclusively obtained and published, said that the '''protection of civilians' mandate implemented by NATO does not end with the fall of the Qadhafi government and, therefore, NATO would continue to have some responsibilities."
When Martin belatedly took questions on August 30 and Inner City Press asked him about this line, with which China and others disagree, Martin called it a "factual statement."
The reason the UN won't get called out on this is that China, Russia and others now want the UN to play a central role, opposing it to NATO. But that is what makes Martin's "factual statement" about a continuing NATO role problematic -- and interesting.
On the last evening of August a well-placed European diplomat at the UN posited to Inner City Press that the reason there has not yet been proposed in the Security Council a resolution to systematically unfreeze Libyan assets is that it would "give an opportunity for China and Russia to counter propose that NATO must stop bombing."
Therefore the piecemeal notes verbales to the Council's Libya Sanctions Committee continue. German Permanent Representative Peter Wittig told Inner City Press on September 1 that his country's requests -- citing "relevant authorities" and not the Transitional National Council -- had the last "two holds" on them listed that morning. As Inner City Press reported on August 31, Norway on that day make its own unfreezing request.
Named as a placer of holds was Russia, which is now reported to have recognized the TNC. Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs' English language web site on September 1 said "The Russian Federation recognizes the National Transitional Council of Libya as the ruling authority."
Inner City Press asked Russia's Permanent Representative Vitaly Churkin about this; he said "'effective' authority would be a better" translation -- as in "the effective authority."
But focusing on one of the word's at least two meaning, will the TNC be effective? Watch this site.
