On Malvinas, Timerman Says Argentina Hasn't Raised Falklands in UNSC "Yet, Want to Meet Hague without "Neighbors"

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 20 -- When Argentina's foreign minister Hector Timerman came to take questions from the press an hour after UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant spoke about what he called the Falkland Islands (and others call Malvinas), Inner City Press asked him if the dispute had been raised by his Ambassador Cristina Perceval, now on the Security Council, to Lyall Grant?

  "Not yet," Timerman said, with a smile.Video here from Minute 25:15.   Earlier he had said he wants to meet with UK foreign minister William Hague, but not with "neighbors." He said there are fewer "British" people on the Malvinas than in his neighborhood in Buenos Aires.

  He said when he met recently with Russia's Sergey Lavrov, there were no "neighbors" brought in at the last minute. A Western wire service reporter asked -- begged -- Timerman to agree to meet with Hague and a "delegation," that would include those living on the Islands. It was similar to a recent pleading with Ban Ki-moon's deputy spokesman to say Ban approves of a "limited" no fly zone over Syria. Timerman didn't bite.

  Inner City Press asked Timerman of the idea of the UN's Committee of 24 visiting the Islands. He said they should visit London and Buenos Aires, the parties to the dispute. He said the UK votes 80% of the time against self-determination, but wants to cite it here.

  Referring to Syria, it seemed clear, he said that Hague is too busy lobbying to intervene in other people's countries to stop and meet with him, Argentina's foreign minister. He asked, do you want me to walk over to the UK Mission and ask to speak to William Hague on the phone? No, the pro no fly zone Western journalist said. And so he did not go. Watch this site.

On French Polynesia, Araud Says Don't Use UN for Politics- But Francois Hollande Did

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, February 27 – As French Polynesia pushes at the UN to get back on the C-24 decolonization list, Inner City Press on Wednesday asked France's Permanent Representative Gerard Araud about the move. (Inner City Press first wrote about the rising action on February 25, here.)

Araud noted that there are elections in French Polynesia in April and said “the UN shouldn't be used in an electoral campaign.” Of course, the UN and Security Council often are. Even Francois Hollande's popularity went up after his decision to intervene in Mali -- a decision his government and Araud told the Security Council was in the framework of international law and Council resolutions.

Araud went on to note that several members of the Non-Aligned Movement are not in support of French Polynesia's push. One of them, it's said, said in Tuesday's meeting sponsored by the Solomon Islands that resolutions shouldn't be used for elections back home. But again, they often are.

Analogy is made to New Caledonia, which by resolution got re-inscribed on the decolonization list in the 1980s. There, even amid violent protest, the resolution is called by opponents of French Polynesia's move “more balanced” than the current one.

So water it down, suggests another. But pass it. Watch this site.

At UN, French Polynesia Wants on Decolonization List As France Bombs in Mali

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, February 25 – Even as France intervenes in its former colony Mali, its current colony French Polynesia is pushing forward at the UN for self-determination.

Amid news that French Polynesia is pushing to be put on the list of the UN Special Committee of 24 on Decolonization, Inner City Press spoke Monday to a number of Pacific island Permanent Representatives.

Some are formally in support of French Polynesia's request. Another pointed out that at the Non Aligned Movement meeting in Tehran, self determination was referred to, but not the C-24 list. “This puts us in a delicate position,” the Permanent Representative told Inner City Press, openly wonder about Indonesia and Chile, for example.

More cynically or analytically he told Inner City Press, “this is a drama for Oscar Temaru, for the upcoming election or for his legacy.” But isn't decolonization the trend? Shouldn't it be?

Later on Monday a large country's Deputy Permanent Representative mused to Inner City Press that self-determination and sovereignty are “two different things, just look at the Falklands or Malvinas.” Look indeed.

But France and its colonies are not an issue not only in the Security Council, but in the UN's North Lawn building. Watch this site.