Inner City Press Asks Venezuela's Maduro If A New UN Envoy on Guyana Requires Consent, Why Last Envoy Wasn't Replaced

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 28 -- When Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro came to the UN and met Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on July 28, his agenda was Guyana and to some degree Exxon Mobil, which he called a troublemaker.

  Inner City Press asked President Maduro if it is Venezuela's position that Ban can name a Good Office envoy without the consent of Guyana, and why the previous envoy was not replaced when he died.

  Maduro noted that three envoy have died, because they have taken up the position when already old. He said that agreement to which both Venezuela and Guyana are signatories is mandatory.

  Inner City Press went and asked Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric:

Inner City Press: The President of Venezuela just now at the stakeout said that the UN is sending a commission, at least that is what he said in Spanish, to both countries, to Venezuela and Guyana, and he said that he believes that Guyana accepting the good offices mediation is mandatory under this Geneva agreement of the 1960s.  Did the Secretary-General commit to actually send people and who will they be?

Spokesman Dujarric:  I don’t have an update.  I can’t… I will not offer an opinion on the legality of one thing or another.  I think what the Secretary-General has offered and has repeatedly offered is to send missions to both countries in an effort to jointly craft a way forward, and both Venezuela and Guyana have restated their commitment to the peaceful resolution of the border controversy.  As soon as I have any further details to who and when people will be going, I will share those with you.

  Eleven hours later when this is published, no further information had been provided.


Back on July 10 when UNASUR's Ernesto Samper Pizano held a press conference at 5 pm at the UN, Inner City Pressasked him if he had raised to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his 4:30 meeting the issues between Venezuela and Guyana. Yes,  Ernesto Samper Pizano said, referring also to Ban's 3 pm meeting with Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Eloina Rodriguez Gomez.

   The UN issued a read-out of Ban's 4:30 pm UNASUR meeting barely an hour after it at 5:42 pm. But the 3 pm Venezuela meeting was not read out until after 8 pm. Then the UN said:

“The Secretary-General met today with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, H.E. Ms. Delcy Rodríguez. Minister Rodríguez delivered a letter addressed to the Secretary-General from President Nicolás Maduro regarding the United Nations Good Offices process on the border controversy with Guyana. The Secretary-General took note of the Minister’s views regarding the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy and stated that the UN Secretariat was in contact with both Governments regarding this issue.

“Subsequently, the Secretary-General received today a call from the President of Venezuela, H.E. Mr. Nicolás Maduro. The Secretary-General acknowledged receipt of the President’s letter regarding the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy and reiterated his assurances of the readiness of the UN Secretariat to discuss the way forward with both Governments.”

  While this is less than clear, so too is why Ban never replaced the previous Good Offices representative when he passed away. Inner City Press has asked, without answer. Watch this site.

Footnote: Inner City Press for the Free UN Coalition for Access also asked  UNASUR's Ernesto Samper Pizano if he had raised the issue of the Malvinas Islands. Yes, he said, adding in the isuse of Guantanamo, another “colonial enclave.” But Ban Ki-moon's read-out with  UNASUR's Ernesto Samper Pizano did not mention Malvina, or the Falklands, by name...
   

UNASUR Raised Malvinas, But UN Stands By Read-out Silent On It

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 13 -- When UNASUR's Ernesto Samper Pizano held a press conference on Friday at 5 pm at the UN, Inner City Press asked him if he had raised to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his team the issue of the Malvinas Islands, which the UK calls the Falklands. Yes, he replied. But it wasn't in the UN's read-out.

 So on July 13, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric:

Inner City Press: there was this meeting between UN… the Secretary-General of UNASUR and the Secretary-General and his chief of staff on Friday.  He gave a press conference here.  He said the issue of Malvinas was raised, but it was not in the readout.  Can you say whether or not it was raised?

Spokesman Dujarric:  I will stand by the readout.  But, the readout is not meant to be… any readout is not meant to be completely exhaustive, so we put out the readout we did.

Inner City Press:  And what are the next steps on, in fact, in naming a good offices envoy to the Venezuela-Guyana…?

Spokesman Dujarric:  As soon as I have something to announce, I will.

On the latter, Inner City Press asked about the issues between Venezuela and Guyana, and Yes,  Ernesto Samper Pizano said, referring also to Ban's 3 pm meeting with Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Eloina Rodriguez Gomez.

   The UN issued a read-out of Ban's 4:30 pm UNASUR meeting barely an hour after it at 5:42 pm. But the 3 pm Venezuela meeting was not read out until after 8 pm. Then the UN said:

“The Secretary-General met today with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, H.E. Ms. Delcy Rodríguez. Minister Rodríguez delivered a letter addressed to the Secretary-General from President Nicolás Maduro regarding the United Nations Good Offices process on the border controversy with Guyana. The Secretary-General took note of the Minister’s views regarding the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy and stated that the UN Secretariat was in contact with both Governments regarding this issue.

“Subsequently, the Secretary-General received today a call from the President of Venezuela, H.E. Mr. Nicolás Maduro. The Secretary-General acknowledged receipt of the President’s letter regarding the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy and reiterated his assurances of the readiness of the UN Secretariat to discuss the way forward with both Governments.”

  While this is less than clear, so too is why Ban never replaced the previous Good Offices representative when he passed away. Inner City Press has asked, without answer. Watch this site.
   

UN's Ban Ki-Moon Belatedly Reads-Out Call from Venezuela, Guyana Envoy Delay

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 10 -- When UNASUR's Ernesto Samper Pizano held a press conference on Friday at 5 pm at the UN, Inner City Press asked him if he had raised to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his 4:30 meeting the issues between Venezuela and Guyana. Yes,  Ernesto Samper Pizano said, referring also to Ban's 3 pm meeting with Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Eloina Rodriguez Gomez.

   The UN issued a read-out of Ban's 4:30 pm UNASUR meeting barely an hour after it at 5:42 pm. But the 3 pm Venezuela meeting was not read out until after 8 pm. Then the UN said:

“The Secretary-General met today with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, H.E. Ms. Delcy Rodríguez. Minister Rodríguez delivered a letter addressed to the Secretary-General from President Nicolás Maduro regarding the United Nations Good Offices process on the border controversy with Guyana. The Secretary-General took note of the Minister’s views regarding the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy and stated that the UN Secretariat was in contact with both Governments regarding this issue.

“Subsequently, the Secretary-General received today a call from the President of Venezuela, H.E. Mr. Nicolás Maduro. The Secretary-General acknowledged receipt of the President’s letter regarding the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy and reiterated his assurances of the readiness of the UN Secretariat to discuss the way forward with both Governments.”

  While this is less than clear, so too is why Ban never replaced the previous Good Offices representative when he passed away. Inner City Press has asked, without answer. Watch this site.

Footnote: Inner City Press for the Free UN Coalition for Access also asked  UNASUR's Ernesto Samper Pizano if he had raised the issue of the Malvinas Islands. Yes, he said, adding in the isuse of Guantanamo, another “colonial enclave.” But Ban Ki-moon's read-out with  UNASUR's Ernesto Samper Pizano did not mention Malvina, or the Falklands, by name...
   

As Asians Fight Over Limits of the Continental Shelf, Russia Runs Alone For Now

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, May 14 -- There are eight Asian candidate for five Asian seats at the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf elections next month - while for three Eastern European seats there is only one candidate, a Russian.

  Amid talk that the largely landlocked Eastern Europeans are being asked to cede one or more of their seats to another region, while Georgia is being solicited to put a candidate forward, Inner City Press on Monday asked Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin about the race. "It's a lot of work," he said, being on the Commission.

  But it is not unimportant, being on the Commission. There are big money disputes about the Arctic, and most recently between Venezuela and Guyana. Well before the election, Trinidad and Tobago is already celebrating the anticipated re-election of its member, breathlessly reported:

"It was a reception held in the Delegates Dining Room at the United Nations headquarters, the very heart of international diplomacy. There was an air of levity, expectation and high stakes at the evening's event, hosted by the Permanent Mission of T&T to honor the re-election of Francis Charles to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for another five year term... He joined T&T Ambassadors Rodney Charles, who called the occasion 'significant for the government,' and Eden Charles, to greet diplomats and other specially invited guests who were feted with fine aperitif, cocktails, and island flavoured music of a solo pianist."

  This is how it works at the UN. Only one problem with celebrating: the election has not been held yet.

  Of interest to some, the US does not have a candidate because it it is not a signatory but all other Permanent Five members of the Security Council do (although the UK candidate Richard Haworth is a joint Canadian citizen). Argentina, too, is making a run, with Carlos Marcelo Paterlini. Watch this site.