North Korea's Ri Yong Ho Says All Options on Operations Table, At One UN Hotel, Periscope

By Matthew Russell Lee, Photos, Periscope

UNITED NATIONS, September 25 – Days after the UN Security Council banned textile exports from North Korea, the country fired another missile over Japan's Hokkeido. On September 23, North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho delivered this speech in the UN General Assembly hall, then came to meet UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, USg Jeffrey Feltman and others. There was a photo op, well attended by wire services and largely Japanese and some South Korean photographers - and Inner City Press. Saturday Periscope video here. Then on Monday September 25 Ri held a press encounter - no questions, just two statements - in front of the One UN Hotel / Millennium Hilton. Inner City Press streamed Periscope, here. 

He said, all options are on the operations table. Inner City Press asked the North Korea Mission to the UN if the international legal conference they have been asking for was discussed; the North Korean Mission to the UN told Inner City Press its “Foreign Minister raised that issue during the meeting. He also told UNSG to be most impartial, not to take one-sided.” We'll see. Back on September 21, this speech in the UN General Assembly Hall, by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as transcribed in English by Inner City Press: "The situation on the Korean peninsula is now a focus of international attention. The 19 September this year, that is two days ago, marks the 12th  anniversary of the 2005, September 19 joint statement of the 6 party talks. At that time, the 6 parties, China, the United States, Russia,  DPRK, RoK and Japan, with China being the chair, made concerted efforts, the two main parties concerned, the US and DPRK made the decision, and we had formulated the roadmap for denuclearization of the peninsula. The DPRK undertook to abandon its nuclear programs, and the US undertook to normalize its relations with the DPRK. All parties committed to setting up a peace mechanism for the peninsula. The statement opened up new vistas for regional peace and stability. 12 years have passed. Some think things have changed on the peninsula and the statement has become outdated, but we believe things following the progressing trend of the times never become outdated, and decisions on the right track never become obsolete. If there is any change, anything we need now, it is denuclearization that is more comprehensive, more thorough, and more irreversible. There should be no new nuclear weapon state whether it is in the north or the south of the peninsula, whether it is in Northeast Asia or other parts of the world. We urge the DPRK not to go further on a dangerous direction. We call ont eh US to honor its four no commitment, and we call on all parties to play a constructive role in easing tensions.  There is still hope for peace and we must not give up. Negotiation is the only way out. Parties should meet each other halfway by recognizing each other’s legitimate concerns. In China’s view, the day when the denuclearization of the peninsula is realized should also be the day when a peace mechanism is established. China is always a force for peace. We have made tireless efforts for a peaceful resolution on the Korean peninsula. Whatever changes may take place, however long it may take, China will stay firmly committed to denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and to regional peace and stability." Back on September 15 Russian Ambassador Nebenzia said, as transcribed by Inner City Press: "we made a statement, a press statement by the president of the Security Council condemning the recent launch, calling on the DPRK to stop it, and also, which is important, reiterating the need for political and diplomatic solution of the crisis, early... We’re discussing that we’re in a vicious circle. We have a provocation, a resolution, then another provocation. Many people raised the issue that we have to think outside the box.  There is the China Russia road map of the 4th of July, which is at the moment the only political proposal on the table... Take away this morning’s Secretary of State Tillerson’s statement, our  American colleague said that Russia and China should quickly implement the sanctions measures provided for in 2375. To which we said that we are responsible members of the international community and we honestly implement resolutions that we adopt in the Security Council but this resolution also provides for political measures that should be implemented equally in that sense we called on our US partners and others to implement the political and diplomatic solutions that are provided for in the resolution and without implementing this we also will consider it as non-compliance with the resolution, not fully implementing the resolution. We were considering what elements we might include in a resolution that would be on a political side.. One way or another, we are including them in the resolutions we have already adopted. We would possibly like more. We’ll see what happens. I think people are keen to discuss it during the high level -- one way or another it will come up, both in the debates and in the meetings. We think that threats, tests, launches should be stopped and we should engage in meaningful negations. Many serious American actors are saying there is no way but to sit at the table and come to think how to resume the six party talks. I think it was Madeline Albright who was referring to it recently and some others as well. There are serious analyses in the American press of the issue, which came out in the last few days before we adopted resolution 2375. Many people around the world understand that there’s no alternative to this in the end."  US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson the day before said, "North Korea's provocative missile launch represents the second time the people of Japan, a treaty ally of the United States, have been directly threatened in recent weeks. These continued provocations only deepen North Korea's diplomatic and economic isolation. United Nations Security Council resolutions, including the most recent unanimous sanctions resolution, represent the floor, not the ceiling, of the actions we should take.  We call on all nations to take new measures against the Kim regime. China supplies North Korea with most of its oil. Russia is the largest employer of North Korean forced labor. China and Russia must indicate their intolerance for these reckless missile launches by taking direct actions of their own." When Nikki Haley spoke on North Korea's hydrogen bomb test in the UN Security Council on US Labor Day, she called for a vote on new sanctions on Kim Jong Un's government on September 11. They passed 15-0, after reducing the cut into North Korea's oil and dropping a proposal travel ban and asset freeze on Kim Jong Un. Now on September 14 North Korea has fired another missile, right over Japan's Hokkeido. And the UN was holding... a fashion show, in its General Assembly lobby, introduced by its new head of "Global Communications" who has yet to even respond to emails about her Department's imposition of UN minders on the independent Press. We'll have more on this. Back on September 11, spinning on background, a US official familiar with the negotiations said, before the vote, that "Kim Jung Un doesn’t have that many assets that are out there and vulnerable anyway." Now you tell us. On September 6, the US draft came out, saying it would among other things BAN oil exports to North Korea (see language below); CNN is still using that term (but see new draft and language below). The vote is slated for 6 pm on September 11; mid morning when Inner City Press asked Italy's Ambassador Sebastiano Cardi about the oil provisions, he said he wouldn't comment on the "details." Video here.At 3 pm, French Ambassador Francois Delattre said "The bottom line is simple: the threat of DPRK has changed in scope, scale, and its very nature. We’re facing not a regional but a global threat, which unites us. We fully support the resolution proposed by the US. We think it’s a robust resolution, a needed step towards the firmness I was just referring to. Our deep belief is that only a firm reaction of the Council can open the path to a political res. Our firm attitude today is the best antidote to the risk of war. I think the conditions are met to go for a vote. We completely support the resolution as it is. By definition this is a compromise to get everybody on board. We believe we have a  strong, robust resolution and it is a needed and important step with respect to the firmness that is the condition for a political solution tomorrow."

A Jesuit in NY on Syria Notes Saudi But Neither Qatar Nor the Ben Ali Role of UN Peacekeeping Chief

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 6 -- When Jesuit Paolo Dall'Oglio took questions from a small press conference in the Millennium Hotel across First Avenue on the UN Monday morning, he called for a new diplomatic initiative on Syria to both Russia "and NATO."

  Inner City Press asked Dall'Oglio about the role of Qatar and Saudi Arabia. He replied that yes, Saudi Arabia's "project" was to beat Iran in Syria. He noted that some might like a long civil war in Syria, and speculated that even if Damascus falls, fighting may continue to break off the Western or Alawite zone by the sea, on the theory there is enough natural gas there to make autonomy viable.

  But Dall'Oglio did not say a word about Qatar.

Inner City Press tweeted out a photo of Dall'Oglio along with this portion of his non-answer. 

  Replies ranged from questioning why he was under the "rebel" flag -- he called it the flag of the "New Syria" -- to stories of Christian martyrs killed by Syria rebels to, who is he?

  Dall'Oglio seems to have faith that a "post-Assad" UN Peacekeeping mission could be even handed -- ignoring the fact that UN Peacekeeping is run by a Herve Ladsous long in the French foreign service, from defending the Hutu government in Rwanda in 1994 to arranging the flights of Michele Aliot-Marie on planes owned by cronies of Tunisian dictator Ben Ali in 2011. Even handed?

  Inner City Press has previously covered other Jesuits, including liberation theologicals from Latin America. When these called for class war, not even regime change, they were ordered to be quiet and generally complied. And here?

  Dall'Oglio went to Canada to meet with foreign minister Baird; he went and spoke in Vancouver and now here, to a small audience dominated by Italian and Saudi media, along with an on-camera question from Voice of America.

  In a sense, after Kofi Annan's resignation and before the anticipated kill-off of the UN observer mission, he functions to keep the spin wheels turning. And so, not without interest, we turn them. Watch this site.

Dlamini-Zuma Wins Top AU Spot After NY War of Lamb Chops & Eritrea

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 15 -- It took a long time and it got pretty dirty, but South Africa's Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has supplanted Gabon's Jean Ping as chair of the AU Commission.

  While finally resolved in Addis Ababa, at the UN in New York this multi-month fight has played out, from grumbles about Gabon's role on Eritrea sanctions in December to astrange press conference at the Millennium Plaza Hotel featuring lamb chops and Equatorial Guinea.

  Each side has its arguments, some advances with others' resources, but now it is resolved: Nkosazana Diamini-Zuma has won.

  Certainly for Polisario and those wanting a referendum for Western Sahara, the result is a good one. Given the way the UN and others often take the UN for granted, too, having it headed by a large country is probably a good thing.

  One wonders what Ban Ki-moon and Jan Eliasson think -- this will be pursued. For now, late on Sunday from New York, we simply report the news: Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is the new chair of the AU Commission. Watch this site.

As Gabon Pitches Ping for AU & Denies French Funding, Canapes Served

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 17 -- As the race for the top African Union post heats up, Gabonese Ambassador Nelson Messone held an event Monday night at the Millennium Hotel across from the UN, to promote a second term for Gabon's Jean Ping.

The event featured, among others, the Permanent Representatives to the UN of Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon, as well as shrimp and guacamole canapes. Video here.

Only four questions were asked, and Inner City Press asked three of them: whether the Ambassadors in attendance are in support of Ping, whether Gabon believes the post is reserved for a smaller state than South Africa, and whether Gabon's differences with South Africa around Eritrea sanctions in late 2011 were in any way related to the race.

On the question of support, Messone said "it's obvious," Ping is "from the Central African region." Tommo Monthe, Cameroon's Ambassador, told Inner City Press his presence means "strong support" for Ping. Equatorial Guinea's Ambassador exchanged a letter with Messone.

On the other questions, Messone diplomatically said that "the wisdom of African heads of state always prevails" and he sees now reasons why it won't this time, "whether there are one, two or three candidates." He decried rumors that "one country outside of Africa" was funding Ping's race, saying that only Gabon is funding it.

Afterward, Messone declined to confirm that the "one country" he referred to is France, but said that the only rule is that countries outside of Africa can't fund the race. But, one wag wondered, can they directly or indirectly condition support for their former colonies in Africa to support their preferred candidate? Watch this site.

Footnote: after Messone finished, Inner City Press was approached by one hapless European diplomat, who said he'd come based on the mention in the invitation of a review of Gabon's two years on the Security Council. "But that's not what he talked about," the diplomat complained. And so it goes.

At UN, NPT Opens Amid Monks' Drums, Dissonant Expectations, Ahmadinejad's Speech

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/un1npt050310.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 3, updated below -- With Japanese monks beating mournful drums outside the NPT Review Conference opening Monday morning, the dissonance between the aspirations of those outside and inside the UN building could not have been more clear.

In Grand Central Station amid singing of "learn war no more," a man held a sign of who has the most nuclear weapons: Russia, the US, the other Permanent Five members of the Security Council (China, the UK and France), India, Israel, Pakistan and, the sign said, North Korea with ten.

Inside the UN, the talk was nearly all about Iran. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has flown in from Tehran -- former U.S. diplomat Mark Wallace wrote to the Millennium Hotel urging they tell him there was no room at the inn -- and is slated to speak late this morning in the General Assembly Hall.

In the new UN press floor, a maze of cubicles in which no whistleblower dares speak, the Iranian press was in a frenzy. Inner City Press was interviewed by a woman with a scarf covering her head. "What do you think of my President, Doctor Ahmadinejad?" she asked.

Another journalist for Iranian media came to make the argument that every time a small country joins NATO, it is an example of proliferation: more countries under the nuclear umbrella and, according to him, more countries paying for nuclear weapons.

The chairman of the conference is the Philippines Ambassador. Some wonder why him; the Manila press expresses hope his role will lead to the passage of an entirely different treaty, about the rights of migrant workers. Dissonant expectations.

From the press gallery above the General Assembly Hall, Inner City Press called out to a few ambassadors, including Michel Kafando of Burkina Faso. He was on the Council until replaced by Nigeria. Where does nuclear proliferation fit in the scheme of Burkina's concerns? Watch this space, this will be updated.

Update of 10:38 p.m. -- from the spaceship-like it begins, with greetings to Ban Ki-moon and... Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Ambassador of Zimbabwe missed his chance to chair the meeting. Zim for Iran! There was a recent visit by A-Jod, to Harare and Uganda. It has begun...

Update of 10:55 a.m. -- Chair Cabactulan quotes as a Chinese proverb that that leader is best who is not known. At seems he may be referring to Ban Ki-moon, who is now speaking about his visit to Russia's test site. Here in press section in upper deck, there are no headphones. How will be hear Ahmadinejad?

Update of 11:21 a.m. -- New IEAE chief bemoans DPRK, Syria and Iran. BKM praised Indonesia for saying it will ratify

Update of 11:29 a.m. -- while waiting for Ahmadinejad, UN email comes in: Hillary Clinton will speak to Press at 5:20. But when's the Ahmadinejad presser?

Update of 11:39 a.m. -- the General Debate begins, with Marty of Indonesia speaking for NAM. Groups get 8 minutes, nations only five. Ahmadinejad next?

Update of 11:59 a.m. -- after Marty of Indonesia went over his time, Ahmadinejad starts up. He takes on Ban Ki-moon's statement about the uranium deal. We accepted that, A-jod says. Puts on glasses.

Update of 12:21 p.m. -- after Inner City Press ran down to press conferene auditorium, having not yet received any response to its 12:11 email to the UN Spokesperson and Deputy asking when the briefing would begin, the room was already locked. Briefing held 12:05 to 12:10, no questions. They have delayed noon briefing in deference to stakeouts by the U.S. Permanent Representative. Not for the President of Iran?

Running back up to the GA Hall, Inner City Press is barred from 4th floor, but shunted to the press booths on the third floor. Three stories directly above Ahmadinejad, who is still speaking, now on the "Zionist regime."

Update of 12:32 p.m. -- Ahmadinejad has been going for half an hour, now reciting the names of famous Iranians. "there will be no room in the future for bullying."

Update of 12:43 p.m. -- as Luxembourg drones on, Ahmadinejad comes back into GA Hall, takes Iran's seat and sits grinning.. Apparently he wants to see if the Luxembourg's of the world will attack him to his face. These are prepared texts, so it seems that they will.

Update of 12:51 p.m. -- with Ireland speaking, Ahmaninejad leaves with entourage. Already the hall is half empty, the press area in the upper deck entirely empty.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1npt050310.html