On Eve of UNSC Vote, Australia's Carr Skips SC Debate, Cambodia Fires at NYT, Rwanda and Hege

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 17 -- On the eve of UN Security Council elections, several last minute pitches were made, documents leaked, responses made or ignored.

  In the Western European and Other states Group, in which Finland, Australia and Luxembourg vie for two seats, Finland's foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja met at 4:30 pm with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, his chief of staff Susana Malcorra and chief political adviser Jeffrey Feltman.

  Finnish Permanent Representative Jarmo Viinanen on October 16 told Inner City Press his country has 165 commitments. They are also preparing bags of dried blueberries for distribution.

   Inner City Press covered the Finnish photo op and while waiting to go up to the North Lawn's third story spotted Australia's foreign minister Bob Carr cutting through the lobby. 

  Unlike his counterparts from Luxembourg and Finland, he did not speak at the day's Rule of Law debate in the Security Council. Nor was he listed on Ban Ki-moon's schedule. But he was working it.

  Australian Permanent Representative Gary Quinlan told Inner City Press he has 162 commitments.

   A well placed diplomat, speaking exclusively to Inner City Press on October 17, mused that Australia is "far from Africa," but is high profile in disarmament, important to the Continent. 

  "There's little exchange of support with Africa," he said, "they always have clean slates. So it's about putting in a factory, or even just a football pitch."

   He went on to the next WEOG election, in which New Zealand is slated to face off with Spain and Turkey. "This is bad for New Zealand," he said, "if Australia gets on, there's no way New Zealand will. And if Australia loses, how could New Zealand win?"

  New Zealand's Permanent Representative, in the Security Council on Wednesday, joined Brazil in question the "carve-outs" from referrals to the International Criminal Court, used by the United States in the Libya referral.

   What Ban's spokesman called the leaking of the report of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Group of Expertsled by Steve Hege was widely seen as a "dirty trick," as two diplomats from different continents put it. But still no alternative candidate stepped forward in the African Group. Likewise Argentina is unopposed in GRULAC.

  The New York Times ran an op-ed against Cambodia, running against South Korea and Bhutan for a single seat;Cambodia responded with a letter to the editor which we will put online here.

  It seems an opportune time to also highlight and link to a recent study of how various Security Council reform proposals would impact the chances of particularly countries to serve on the Council -- click here for that, "Platform for Change." Watch this site.

For UNSC, Australia Claims 162 Commitments, Finland 165, Luxembourg 150: Fudge Factor?

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, October 16 -- The morning after Australia's Security Council election party in the UN Tent, Inner City Press asked the country's Permanent 

Representative Gary Quinlan about his Finnish counterpart Jarmo Viinanen having just exclusively told the Press that Finland has 165 commitments, from the 193 UN member states.

  Combined with Luxembourg supporters telling Inner City Press that country has 150 promises, that would leave Australia with a mere 71 votes.

  Ambassador Quinlan paused then said, "Take that and double it, then add twenty." 

That would be 162. Like Viinanen, he said he believes country's commitments, recounting that one member state -- only one, he emphasized -- recent came and said it was switching its vote away. He said he was disappointed, but appreciated being told.

That candor can be contrasted with this race, in which by some counts one third of member states are dissembling and committing to three countries for only two seats.

Beyond the tent reception, with over 400 guests, and a lot of travel, African sources tell Inner City Press that Australia will be funding a post in the African Union.

Inner City Press asked Russian Permanent Representative Vitaly Churkin about it and he quipped, the important thing is not to have more than 193 votes.

Yes, that might bring in an investigation. First the voting, on October 18. Watch this site.

In UNSC race, Finland PR Tells ICP Has 165 Commitments, Aussie Echo

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, October 16 -- Two days before the UN elections for Security Council seats, Finland's Permanent Representative Jarmo Viinanen told Inner City Press his country has 165 committed votes.

  Since as also exclusively reported yesterday supporters of Luxembourg are using a figure of 150 promises, this Finnish count seemed incongruous. Inner City Press replied to Ambassador Viinanen, "If people can be believed."

  Viinanen told Inner City Press, "I cannot doubt when my colleagues and my friends say that they will support us. I believe in them."

  By this math, even in the light most favorable to Australia, it could get the 28 votes not "committed" to Finland, and the 43 that Luxembourg's not claiming, for a total of 71. While we don't expect a vote count that low, it would be grist for a growing debate in Australia if the country over-spent in its bid to return to the Security Council.

  In the other, Asia race Cambodia's representative Hor Nam Bora has made another pitch to Inner City Press, after responses to his first and surprising candid argument. This one includes:

"As one of nearly 40% of UN member states which have never served on the Security Council and been given the opportunity to influence international affairs at the highest level, Cambodia would represent a new voice -- one of the world’s smaller countries."

We'll have more on this. Watch this site.