At UN, Israel's Prosor Riffs on Flopilla & Durban III, Repping Peres or Lieberman?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 26 -- For the last time before the possible UN vote on Palestine in September, there was a long “open debate on the Middle East” in the Security Council on Tuesday. Israel's still relatively new UN Ambassador Ron Prosor in his speech said,

“let me turn to my Palestinian colleague and ask a simple question. Permanent Representative Mansour: on behalf of whom will you present a resolution in September? Mr. Abbas or Hamas?”

Riyad Mansour responded, “On behalf of the Palestinian people.” One wag said he could have gone further and asked Prosor whom HE represented: Shimon Peres or Avigdor Lieberman? (Mansour's speech touched on the “undemocratic 'boycott law.'”)

Inner City Press asked Prosor at the stakeout about reports, or at least one report, that Israel would void the Oslo Accords if Palestinian proffers a resolution aiming at statehood in September. Peres has said “no,” and Prosor seemed to -- click here for video. The stakeout by Mansour is online here.

On other UN topics, Inner City Press asked Prosor about the Durban III event scheduled for September 22, which the US, Canada, Italy, Netherlands and the Czech Republic are boycotting (although US Ambassador Susan Rice has dubbed it “non-participation”).

Prosor said that while there are part of the Durban review process that Israel would praise, the anti-Semitic parts lead it to condemn and to ask others to.

Inner City Press asked about the long delayed Palmer report on last year's Gaza flotilla. Prosor began by calling this year's on again, off again version the “flopilla."

He then said that at Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's request, granted by both Israel and Turkey, the report on last year's flotilla is being delayed until August 22 to see if the sides can agree. We'll be here, for that and September: watch this site.

As UN Plans for Durban Discussion, Tiptoeing Around Holocaust Denial, Press Access

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 26 -- In the run up to September's UN meeting on the Durban Declaration, with Holocaust denial in the air, a meeting was held Wednesday on 48th Stree to scope out the session. Should the opening run from 9 am to 11:30? Or only to 10? Should it be televised? These were the questions, in the so-called “informal informal” consultations held in the UN's North Lawn building.

Monaco and Cameroon were in the chair position, and Switzerland spoke more than any other delegation. Sources tell Inner City Press that the US and Canada are nowhere to be seen in the process. But whether this will serve them come September remains to be seen.

European Union sources tell Inner City Press they are between a rock and a hard place. They would like to denounce racism, the ostensible goal of the Durban Declaration. But given how things went in Durban in 2001, and even more in 2004, they are concerned the event will provide a platform for Holocaust denial.

At the same time the EU does not want to be seen questioning free speech. Try to block media coverage -- to some, one possible solution -- or to ask in advance what participants will say, is hardly in keeping with freedom of expression.

Inner City Press covered the vote on Durban III in December 2010, when funding was approved 102 for, 33 abstaining and 17 against, including Canada and the United States.

The French Mission to the UN later told Inner City Press it had abstained because “there were many elements in the text that we couldn't support, but we support the Durban declaration and want to engage in the Durban process. Hence our vote."

The fights on May 25 were mundane: would the speakers come from regional groupings or so-called political groups like the G-77; would there be “program budget implications;” would the panel discussions be televised. The elephant in the room was who would use the spotlight, and for what purpose. We'll see -- watch this site.

At UN on Budget, Iran Loses Sanctions Vote, R2P, Durban III Funded

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 23/24, updated -- As the UN Budget committee finally began voting at midnight, Iran's attempt to cut funding to the Group of Experts of its Sanctions Committee lost with 79 against, 36 abstaining and 11 for, including Venezuela, Ecuador, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Myanmar.

Funding for the Durban III review day passed, 102 for, 33 abstaining and 17 against, including Canada and the United States, whose Joseph Melrose spoke.

Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua proposed a paragraph against Responsibility to Protect. Cuba spoke at length as did Nicaragua, denouncing the arrogance of R2P while speechifying to a GA hall full of half sleeping delegates.

Argentina's representative was sleeping, as was Swazilands. Russia had five large people, and took over a seat of Sierra Leone or the Seychelles.

Still, the ALBA group lost, 68 against, 51 abstaining and 17 for them in opposing R2P, including Qatar, the Solomon Island and not surprisingly Sudan. India voted “no,” that is, for R2P, a change from their prior Permanent Representative's position.

A vote was held on the overall Genocide resolution, now with only nine opposed including Iran, Ecuador and Zimbabwe. Iran called for a vote against all the Special Political Missions. On this, only Iran voted against, with three abstaining: North Korea, Myanmar and Syria - on Roed Larsen and Resolution 1559? Watch this site.

Updates: Budget committee meeting ends at 1:35 am with $5 billion quietly allocated.

At 1:44 am Eritrea takes the floor, quoting Henry Ford, a real Hallmark Card of a speech from a country dis-invited from the UN's September Somalia meeting.

At 2:23 am, after a coffee or drinks drink, full UNGA starts, with France complaining again about English only. Iceland rep has been knitting, Latvia sleeping. Deiss is not here. Why not?

As full UNGA votes on the budget, among countries absent is Somalia. Where's the TFG? Sri Lanka is here, but didn't vote on Iran resolutions. Very diplomatic.

In full UNGA, Durban III funding passes 104 for (2 more than in Budget committeee), 22 against (5 more) and 33 abstaining (same).

Notice: white New Yorkers in Marshall Islands & Palau seats confer, as Nauru rent-a-diplomat quietly leaves. #NiceWorkIfYouCanGetIt

Fin: it's over, budget votes finished at 4:39 am, ritual Xmas tree up on voting screen, flashbulbs of cell phone cameras, handshakes, 10-4.

UN Budgets Votes On Durban III & Iran Sanctions Panel, R2P & Staff Treatment

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 22/23 -- With the UN Budget committee at work at 2:30 am on December 23, the number of issues on which a contested vote would be called was whittled down to two, or three at most. The main achievements, though, would be under or unreported, committee members complained to Inner City Press.

Surprising to some, Iran is still calling for a vote on the funding of the Panel of Experts of its Sanctions Committee. On the other side of the coin, the Durban III event in September will be voted against by, among others, Canada -- which has already said it won't participate.

Also causing agita at 2 am is a merger of functions of the offices for the Prevention of Genocide and of the Responsibility to Protect. The opponents of R2P say it has never been approved, and oppose the merger.

As the Fifth Committee members mill around past midnight, with bottles of wine and pizza boxes on tables, a deal is said to be near on R2P, while votes are predicted on Iran's Panel of Expert and on Durban III.

Meanwhile some Committee members bemoan the lack of coverage of the bigger ticket items: continuing contracts and so-called common system. As one heart felt developing world committee member told Inner City Press, staff are 70% of the UN's costs and therefore its major asset.

They need to be given security, especially working in some of the most dangerous places in the world. And to pay funds and programs staff more than Secretariat makes no sense. This too, they say, will be part of the package.

The votes, it is predicted, still come December 23. Watch this site.

In UN Budget, Iran Wants to Cut Sanctions Group, UNICEF to Pay More

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, December 21 -- The UN budget committee has begun its ritual of all night meetings to finish before Christmas. This year the global financial crisis has finally hit home, as one delegate put it to Inner City Press, in the discussion of the “common UN system” or “harmonizing contracts.”

There are additional political issues around the UN's funding of a Durban conference review day in September, and Iran trying to defund the Panel of Experts of its Sanctions Committee.

Harmonizing UN system contracts has been a theme since September in the budget committee. UNICEF came and argued that it should be allowed to pay its people more, since it needs “better” people in order to attract private sector support.

UNHCR and the World Food Program, among others, came to make the same pitch. The phrasing, and the arrogance, troubled many.

But the argument grew more subtle with example of staffers leaving UN peacekeeping missions in order to work for UNICEF to earn more money. There are also examples of seeming UN peacekeeping officials, like Alan Doss when in Liberia and the Congo, secretly being under better paid UNDP contracts.

To avoid at least some of these scams, the proposal is to harmonize contacts, with some sort of a phrase in or grandfathering period. This may raise costs, and countries which are cutting back pay to their own workers are hard pressed to vote increases for UN system staff.

Similarly, the Permanent Representative of Tunisia recently admitted to Inner City Press that his country's announced plans for a Youth Conference have fallen through due to lack of funding. Still, a deal is predicted for December 22 or 23.

Member states are complaining about Ban Ki-moon's Secretariat not doing enough of the heavy lifting on “continuing contracts,” leaving Missions like Singapore having to do the calculations.

A recorded vote is predicted on funding the Durban III day in September, and perhaps on Iran's proposal to defund its Sanctions Committee. Why aren't North Korea and Sudan, for example, making the same proposal to undercut their Sanctions Committee?

At Tuesday's UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban's acting Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq for any comment from Ban about Durban III. "The member states decide," he said.

Also referred from the Third Committee is the question of Myanmar. Despite evidence that staff time has been redevoted from Myanmar to other uses in the Department of Political Affairs, nothing has yet been done.

Tuesday night in the North Lawn, the new venue for budget committee rituals, included two diplomats from Cote d'Ivoire chatting nervously with the Press. Earlier Ban Ki-moon urged the General Assembly to disaccredit Permanent Representative Djedje. What would this mean for others in the Ivorian mission? Their budget expert just keeps working. It is the Fifth Committee ethic. Watch this site.