13 September 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly opens. To participate in it, a delegation was formed by order of Vladimir Putin, headed by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. However, the US denied entry visas to key members of the delegation..
And this is not the first such case.. A few days ago, the United States refused to issue a visa to Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev.. Therefore, he could not participate in the summit of the heads of the UN Interior Ministry.
Responding to such actions, Russia called on UN Secretary-General António Guterres to launch an arbitration procedure due to US violation of its obligations. This requirement was stated by a representative of the Russian diplomatic mission to the UN at a meeting of the World Organization Committee for Relations with the Host Country.
In accordance with the Agreement between the United Nations and the United States 1947 of the year, the US government is obliged to freely issue visas to all participants in official events of the United Nations. If the States do not fulfill their obligations, the matter is referred to arbitration.
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However, even if it is possible to start the arbitration procedure, then it is not necessary to count on a positive result for Russia. The arbitral tribunal is composed of three arbitrators. Only one of them is appointed by the UN Secretary General. The other two are appointed by the US Secretary of State and the President of the International Court of Justice.. The latter is a US citizen.
Therefore, Moscow warned, that in case of ignoring its requirements, it may raise the question of transferring the UN headquarters to a neutral country. Alexei Drobinin, Director of the Foreign Policy Planning Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, made this statement..
Among the cities, which may be offered to host the UN Headquarters, are called St. Petersburg, Montreal, Dubai, Jerusalem, Nairobi. At the same time, obstacles may also arise for the implementation of this project..
The decision to permanently locate the UN Headquarters in New York was formalized by a General Assembly resolution dated 14 February 1946 of the year. Prior to this, meetings of the General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council were held in London. Considering this fact, the question of moving the headquarters to another location can only be taken by the General Assembly. A simple majority is required to pass a decision.. It means, that vote "yes" should 97 of 193 UN Member States. To date, the majority in the world organization, albeit with reservations, oriented to the West. And this, not to mention, that the very proposal for a new location should be submitted by the Committee for Relations with the UN Host Country. It is dominated by Western countries and their allies.
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At the same time, Russia still has opportunities to mobilize its supporters.. And I have to admit, that the States themselves actively contribute to this. They regularly refuse visas to representatives of many countries. Consequently, the idea of moving the headquarters is actively supported by Iran and Venezuela. And this is just the beginning. After all, the United States violates the agreement on the location of UN headquarters not only in the issue of issuing visas.
According to the contract, the headquarters of the world organization has the status of extraterritoriality. It means, that American police and federal investigators cannot enter its premises. However, the States periodically violate this rule.. They refer to the clause, that the headquarters cannot be used as a safe haven from criminal prosecution. Therefore, American courts periodically decide on criminal prosecution against certain diplomats., after which the police invade to detain them at the UN headquarters.
Another violation is the secret listening by the American intelligence services of the premises and employees of the world organization.. This information has been disclosed several times., in t. no. former CIA and NSA officer Edward Joseph Snowden.
Finally, States retain the ability to blackmail the UN with the help of a complete blocking of the activities of the world organization.
The thing is, that the land for the headquarters of the United Nations was once donated by the Rockefeller family. This transaction was carried out within the jurisdiction of the United States, ie. in accordance with US law. At the same time, the States still have not bothered to legislate all issues of compliance with property rights.. Consequently, American laws allow you to invalidate a transaction at any time. To do this, the descendants of the Rockefellers just need to apply to the American court. And then the UN headquarters runs the risk of becoming an “illegal building” on the territory, privately owned.
A photo: © Global Look Press/Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire
All this together allows the US government to influence the activities of the UN., hindering the implementation of the statutory goals of the world organization. But it also created the preconditions for, for Russia to gradually expand the circle of its supporters. And then sooner or later the majority will be on her side.
As for the current situation, here, too, the States suggested Russia a way out.
24 August, the UN Security Council voted for the virtual participation of the President of Ukraine Zelensky in the meeting. Russia opposed, recalling that, that participation in official UN events should take place in person, ie. with the physical presence of the invited person. In response, Western countries referred to the fact, that this rule is not enshrined in the UN Charter. As a result, Zelensky participated in the meeting of the Security Council via videoconference.. This set a legal precedent.. Now all official UN events, as well as voting can be held virtually. Each country can vote via videoconference or send their vote by e-mail.
Yuri Gorodnenko
