The U.N.'s Yearly Show Again Plays a Vital Role (El Mundo, Spain)
"It is a perfect occasion for contacts and colleagues (everyone's
there) to gauge the determination for punishing Assad if he fails to destroy his
chemical weapons, estimate how many think that by removing the Syrian dictator,
the cure may be worse than the disease. ... Meetings of the U.N. General Assembly
are a superb pretext for the U.S. Secretary of state John Kerry to meet his Iranian
counterpart. It is something they haven't done in 25 years. It is the same for
Iranian President Rohani."
Quite
a number of people ask me if the traditional U.N. meeting held in early September,
which is attended by many heads of state and government, serves any purpose. My
answer would be, less than what lovers of the United Nations believe; and far
more than what skeptics claim.
The
conclave in New York has, in fact, two objectives: for leaders from all
countries to present their views on current international problems; and that,
along with the meeting, leaders conduct interviews with colleagues, U.S.
institutions, etc ...
Skeptics
say that the speeches are held in a room virtually devoid of important figures,
and where no one can hear the speaker. They're right. For example, President Rajoy,
like other notables, had a small audience.
Any
excitement centers on what the U.S. president says (during which the room is packed
with top people) and on what figures in conflict have to say. This year, for
example, comments by the new president of Iran were eagerly anticipated.
Clearly conciliatory, he didn't disappoint.
Nevertheless,
despite the apparently unnoticed speeches, they are a wonderful opportunity to put
your stances on the record. To Rajoy, it served not
only to remind people of the anachronism of Gibraltar [Spain challenges British
sovereignty], to send a conciliatory message - or not, or express your position
on a currently heated matter, for example, if you have any thoughts about
Syria.
In
this way, embassies and observers take the pulse of the
international community on problems. I recall the year Bush hinted that if the U.N. failed
to act against Saddam Hussein - he would. In remarks of the other speakers, even
in their omissions on the topic, one got a sense of where members of the organization
stood.
There
are Spanish, Italian or Mexican journalists who are still shocked that their president's
speeches fall flat in the American press. That is the norm. This isn't to
belittle. What it indicates is a lack of space, so all one sees are the
eccentricities and more striking proposals.
For
example, this year, Evo Morales wants to remove the U.N.
from the United States to prevent visa problems for dignitaries of countries Washington
is uncomfortable with. The motion is somewhat ludicrous. The United States
hands out visas to Cuba, North Korea ... that is their obligation.
Removing
the U.N. from New York would be extremely costly. Who would pay for it? And
those who attend the meetings, even those who detest the U.S. government or its
culture, are happy to get lost for a few days in that seat of evil, rotten
capitalism.
Posted By
Worldmeets.US
Let
us move to the second objective, which is not insignificant: the interviews. Meetings
of the U.N. General Assembly are a superb pretext for U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry to meet his Iranian counterpart. It is something they haven't
done in 25 years. It is the same for Iranian President Rohani,
who told The Washington Post that he
wants to sit and seriously demonstrate that Iran will not build a nuclear bomb.
Bolivia President
Evo Morales addresses the U.N. General Assembly, Sept. 24. Morales wants the U.N. removed from the United States.
It
is a perfect occasion for contacts and colleagues (everyone's there) to gauge
the determination for punishing Assad if he fails to destroy his chemical
weapons, estimate how many think that by removing the Syrian dictator, the cure
may be worse than the disease (news of the integration of extremists into rebel
ranks is alarming), etc.
For
Rajoy, in particular, who will have seen a dozen
colleagues, the journey was likely useful for explaining in major U.S. media
that the Spanish economy appears to be emerging from the tunnel, and for mounting
a campaign for Spain's candidacy to the Security Council.
Soon
there will be two vacancies in our group [U.N. Security Council seats are
allocated by region], and our rivals are tricky: New Zealand, the darling of
the U.N., and Turkey. My experience tells me - in my time at the U.N. we won
the vote - any post at that level, and any vote, is precious.
*Inocencio Arias is Spain's former ambassador to the United
Nations and consul general to Los Angeles
