Roundup: Russia slams U.S.for abusing UN host role

Russia on Tuesday accused the United States of abusing its role as host of the UN Headquarters in New York, disrespecting the UN leadership and blocking organizations it doesn't favor from attending sessions at the world organization.

"Such action by the U.S. is an abuse of their position as host country of the UN and shows a glaring disrespect towards the secretariat leadership," Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin told a meeting of the Security Council. "We call for an end to such high-handedness."

The panel of 15 was discussing how it conducts its business.

The U.S. Mission to the United Nations did not immediately reply to Xinhua's requests for comment.

Moscow's envoy was critical of a session chaired by U.S. President Barack Obama on combating violent extremism held Sept. 29 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly's annual General Debate.

"The (UN) Secretariat is a gracious host, offering its premises at headquarters for events organized by member states on a broad range of issues," he said. "However, we should need to understand that when holding such events all members of the organization, bar none, must respect the rules of the house."

"We think it's unacceptable that at the event organized by the U.S. delegation on Sept. 29, an event on combating violent extremism -- notwithstanding protests by the Secretariat leadership and certain delegations -- they (the United States) invited representatives of the self-declared Kosovo. Kosovo, which is not a UN member," Churkin said.

"Kosovo Albanian representatives cannot be allowed onto UN territory unless they, in certain cases, are accompanied by Secretariat officials," he said, referring to the breakaway province of Serbia which declared its independence in 2008.

Russia supported Serbia's bid to retain Kosovo while the United States endorsed Kosovo's independence.

"When there is a real need to hear the opinions of new independent states which are not UN members, the U.S. then tends to erect visa barriers," Churkin said. "Every year Georgia brings before the General Assembly a draft resolution on refugees which cannot be considered without inviting representatives from Abkhazia and South Ossetia to New York."

"They need to have an opportunity to have their say even if it is only in special and informal events at Headquarters," he said. "The same goes for participation of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in the work of the organization."

"Countries who you'd think were the biggest proponents of participation of civil society in actual fact block appearances by NGOs that hold different views to their own," Churkin said, adding that those who wish to be objective should give the NGOs representing the opinion of the overwhelming majority of the population of Crimea, for example, permission to speak at the UN.

Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that formed part of eastern Ukraine, was annexed by Russia last year.

Moscow's envoy was also critical of members of the Security Council -- without naming any -- who take advantage of informal meetings for "propaganda shows" to "promote their own unilateral positions."

He also didn't think it was appropriate to discuss, at this time, how a new UN secretary-general should be elected to replace the current UN chief, Ban Ki-moon, who retires at the end of next year.

"In recent months there has been a lot of commotion over the selection of a new UN secretary-general," Churkin said. "The secretary-general still has over a year left in his mandate. However, a number of delegations seem intent on launching the process for his election right now. We don't think there is any practical value in this other than point-scoring for those who are promoting those initiatives.

"Furthermore, we shouldn't be creating further pressure on the current secretary-general or still less import into the UN the concept of 'lame duck,' as the saying goes in certain countries whose political systems are hardly paragons of effectiveness," he said in clear reference to Obama and his battles with the U.S. Congress. Enditem