At UN, Kosovo Issue Reduced to Statements Not Passed, Stakeouts Not Given

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 29 -- Even amid clashes in Northern Kosovo, how far the issue has fallen at the UN was exemplified on Tuesday when Kosovo's minister Enver Hoxhaj walked by the fully staff UN Television stakeout in order to speak only to a pro-Kosovo TV station.

Inner City Press asked Hoxhaj to speak at the public microphone. Instead, Hoxhaj diplomatically gave Inner City Press his business card, explaining that it was a matter of "strategy and tactics."

Perhaps relatedly, Serbian minister Vuk Jeremic did not speak at the stakeout, or visibly to any camera outside the Security Council. (Inner City Press asked a Serbian spokesperson, who ascribed this only to the lateness of the hour: 1:30 in the afternoon.)

Russian Permanent Representative Vitaly Churkin told Inner City Press he was circulating a draft statement, but didn't expect it to be agreed to. (He noted that Russia had quickly agreed to the UK-drafted statement about protests in UK facilities in Tehran.)

While the Security Council president, Portuguese Ambassador Cabral, told Inner City Press after he read out the UK Embassy statement that he hadn't seen any Russian draft, US Deputy Permanent Representative Rosemary DiCarlo told Inner City Press she had seen it.

When Inner City Press relayed that Churkin predicted it wouldn't be agreed to, DiCarlo said with a smile, "He's a smart man." And so it goes at the UN.

At UN on Kosovo, Churkin Says Ban Ki-Moon Was Pressured to Leave UNMIK Vacant, Tells Hoxhaj to Obey Rules, UNGA

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 15 -- On Kosovo, the UN Security Council met past 8 pm on Thursday, ultimately not agreeing to a short statement proposed by Russia the brewing dispute about border posts should be resolved by dialogue.

Afterward as Kosovo Foreign Minister Hoxhaj was speaking to the Press at the Security Council stakeout, Russia's Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told him he should not be speaking there without being accompanied by someone from the UN Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK.

Hoxhaj remained at the microphone. Inner City Press asked him to respond to Churkin's position. We are an independent state, Hoxhaj answered, we will be a state forever.

After Hoxhaj left and Churkin read out the proposed press statement that hadn't been agreed to, he was asked about "being rude" to Hoxhaj. "I didn't tackle him," Churkin said. "Let that be noted."

Inner City Press asked Churkin about his statement, alongside the Council's last Kosovo meeting, that UNMIK is rudderless and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon should already have named a new head of UNMIK to replace Lamberto Zannier who left to head the OSCE.

Churkin said it is "obvious" that Ban Ki-moon is being pressured, and has given to to pressure, not to name a new head of UNMIK.

In this view, Ban's reportedly strong statements about Syria earlier on Thursday were not courageous, but rather another example of being pressured to do and say things.

Vuk Jeremic previously in UNSC, pressure on Ban re UNMIK not shown

Churkin recalled when the Kosovo delegation came into the General Assembly Hall and stayed, and said that the rule is that they can come in only during the speech of the delegation which invited them. Expect fireworks, during the UNGA and possibly tomorrow in Northern Kosovo. Watch this site.

Footnote: before it became clear that no press statement would be agreed to, Inner City Press asked Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic to come and "do a stakeout." He said, "I don't know if the camera is still there," referring to the time earlier in the summer when the UN TV camera was gone when he came out to speak.

This time, he said the vast majority of Council members said that KFOR and EULEX supporting Kosovo's moves was wrong. But even Churkin said that memberS opposed his simple draft press statement. And so it goes at the UN.