Jeremić’s UNGA bid “causes diplomatic tussle”

Serbia’s FM Vuk Jeremic “has started a diplomatic tussle in Eastern Europe” with his UN General Assembly bid, AFP reports. The news agency stressed that Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis had accused Russia of “bringing the Cold War hostility back to life” by supporting the Serbian FM for the UNGA president instead of Lithuanian candidate Dalius Cekuolis. Jeremic’s UNGA bid “causes diplomatic tussle” Azubalis also stressed that Jeremic had tried to “blackmail” his country. Jeremic has rejected the accusations and told AFP that Serbia deserved to get an important international position. This year, the UNGA presidency should be given to some Eastern European country but 193 UN General Assembly members will vote on it in June for the first time since 1991 after they failed to agree on a single candidate. There 23 states in the Eastern European Group. Both Jeremic and Azubalis are running a fierce campaign for their respective bids in New York, AFP says. An Eastern European ambassador has stated that the case “has brought old rivalry in Eastern Europe back to life”, adding that it was unnecessary at the moment. Azubalis says that by refusing to vote in the regional group Russia and Serbia are trying to “veto” Lithuania’s ambitions. He added that Lithuania had submitted its candidacy bid in June 2011 and that he was surprised when he learnt in January this year that the Serbian minister was also running for the position. Diplomats say that Lithuania believes that Russia has encouraged Jeremic to submit his candidacy due to differences between Moscow and Vilnius regarding Lithuania’s annexation by the USSR. Russia's annoyance with the former Soviet republic that regained independence after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union may be due to remarks Cekuolis made in May 2010 at a General Assembly session commemorating the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II. "What we have heard unofficially is that Russia is obsessed about how we see the history of World War II," Azubalis said. According to AFP, Jeremic and Russian diplomats have rejected the conspiracy theory but Russian Mission to the UN Spokesman Anton Uspensky has confirmed that Moscow was against Cekuolis’ bid. “"From the very beginning we openly told Lithuanians that we could not support a candidate for General Assembly presidency who does not understand the importance of the victory over Nazism - the very victory that made the creation of the United Nations possible” he told AFP and added that such person should not preside over the UN General Assembly. Azubalis also accused Jeremic of threatening Lithuania with diplomatic retaliation if Cekuolis refuses to withdraw from the race - saying Serbia would attempt to block Lithuania's bid for a two-year seat on the UN Security Council in 2014-2015. “Our relations should not be based on blackmails or veto but on dialogue instead,” Azubalis noted. Cekulouis said the Russians had warned Lithuania as early as November 2011 "there might be other candidates." The Serbian FM said, on the other hand, that Lithuania had already held important positions, like OSCE presidency in 2011, and that Serbia and Lithuania were small countries and that he believed that they would be of better service to the UN system if they “split the responsibility”. He confirmed that he had met with the Lithuanian minister in Brussels last week and that they had discussed the issue. “We offered a fair trade to Lithuania. We are ready to support their candidacy for the Security Council,” Jeremic said and added that the Serbian government, which had done a lot to ensure stability and reconciliation in the Balkans, believed that it could contribute to the UN by submitting a bid for such an important position for the first time. Vuk Jeremic (Tanjug, file) Beta AFP

Jeremić’s UNGA bid “causes diplomatic tussle”

Azubalis also stressed that Jeremić had tried to “blackmail” his country.

Jeremić has rejected the accusations and told AFP that Serbia deserved to get an important international position.

This year, the UNGA presidency should be given to some Eastern European country but 193 UN General Assembly members will vote on it in June for the first time since 1991 after they failed to agree on a single candidate. There 23 states in the Eastern European Group.

Both Jeremić and Azubalis are running a fierce campaign for their respective bids in New York, AFP says.

An Eastern European ambassador has stated that the case “has brought old rivalry in Eastern Europe back to life”, adding that it was unnecessary at the moment.

Azubalis says that by refusing to vote in the regional group Russia and Serbia are trying to “veto” Lithuania’s ambitions. He added that Lithuania had submitted its candidacy bid in June 2011 and that he was surprised when he learnt in January this year that the Serbian minister was also running for the position.

Diplomats say that Lithuania believes that Russia has encouraged Jeremić to submit his candidacy due to differences between Moscow and Vilnius regarding Lithuania’s annexation by the USSR.

Russia's annoyance with the former Soviet republic that regained independence after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union may be due to remarks Cekuolis made in May 2010 at a General Assembly session commemorating the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II.

"What we have heard unofficially is that Russia is obsessed about how we see the history of World War II," Azubalis said.

According to AFP, Jeremić and Russian diplomats have rejected the conspiracy theory but Russian Mission to the UN Spokesman Anton Uspensky has confirmed that Moscow was against Cekuolis’ bid.

“"From the very beginning we openly told Lithuanians that we could not support a candidate for General Assembly presidency who does not understand the importance of the victory over Nazism - the very victory that made the creation of the United Nations possible” he told AFP and added that such person should not preside over the UN General Assembly.

Azubalis also accused Jeremić of threatening Lithuania with diplomatic retaliation if Cekuolis refuses to withdraw from the race - saying Serbia would attempt to block Lithuania's bid for a two-year seat on the UN Security Council in 2014-2015.

“Our relations should not be based on blackmails or veto but on dialogue instead,” Azubalis noted.

Cekulouis said the Russians had warned Lithuania as early as November 2011 "there might be other candidates."

The Serbian FM said, on the other hand, that Lithuania had already held important positions, like OSCE presidency in 2011, and that Serbia and Lithuania were small countries and that he believed that they would be of better service to the UN system if they “split the responsibility”.

He confirmed that he had met with the Lithuanian minister in Brussels last week and that they had discussed the issue.

“We offered a fair trade to Lithuania. We are ready to support their candidacy for the Security Council,” Jeremić said and added that the Serbian government, which had done a lot to ensure stability and reconciliation in the Balkans, believed that it could contribute to the UN by submitting a bid for such an important position for the first time.