Britain brings down the curtain on diplomacy
Filed Under Curtain Rods | Posted on December 15, 2007
It fell yesterday to Britain and its ambassador to the United Nations, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, to bring down the final curtain on diplomacy and clear the world’s stage for war.
His was an unusual role for a career diplomat. But it guaranteed the envoy - and the UN itself - a last moment in the public eye before they make way for the stars of the military conflict ahead.
The villain of his piece was not Saddam Hussein but France. No doubt Sir Jeremy was observing diplomatic niceties by being so discreet, but by refusing to say “France” out loud he sounded as though the word simply stuck in his gullet.
Instead he singled out “one country in particular” for opprobrium and, implicitly President Chirac himself, for threatening “to veto any ultimatum no matter what the circumstances”. He added: “That country rejected our proposed compromise before even the Iraqi government itself.”
The sight of Sir Jeremy, flanked by the UN ambassadors of the United States and Spain, co-sponsors of the resolution abandoned yesterday, was reminiscent of the weekend’s summit between the countries’ three leaders in the Azores.
But the setting was not. Symbolically or not, the chamber where the Security Council usually meets was due for renovation yesterday, forcing the ambassadors to gather in another room in the basement, next to a cafe selling “coffeeholic” and “lemon poppy” cake.
Having arrived late for the session to ensure maximum impact, the three ambassadors sponsoring the failed text stepped up to the microphone and had their say.
Halfway through their speeches the rest of the council, including the ambassadors of the “undecided six” swing countries, walked out in what looked like a pre-arranged protest at their treatment.
In fact, they had decided that the new room was too cramped on this day of drama and were heading back upstairs to their usual home, renovation or not.
Even diplomats closely involved in the six months of negotiation over Iraq admitted to the end-of-term atmosphere in UN headquarters yesterday, an impression enhanced by the ambassadors’ coming and going.
Earlier, ambassadors from the “axis of weasel”, as France, Russia, Germany and China have been christened in American tabloids for their opposition to the US, held a private council of war of their own.
The French envoy, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, was so agitated that, having briefed journalists once and walked away, he turned back to continue bending the ear of anyone who would listen.
“And what is important is that after this period it is up to the council collectively to assess the situation,” he stressed, still pushing the idea of another 30-day deadline for Iraq to disarm.
And yet, if he had not been officially informed already that the British and Americans had given up on the UN, he must have sensed that such proposals were by now redundant.
Instead of striding through the corridors like Gallic cocks, triumphant, as they have been for weeks, confident of frustrating the Anglo-Saxon warmongers, the French looked distinctly chastened, their feathers ruffled, yesterday.
Before arriving for their meeting, the “weasels” had to walk past a golden dodo, a gift to the Security Council from Mauritius.
The present was installed in a glass case outside the council last week. It has already been hailed by sceptics as a fitting symbol of the Security Council.
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