I am continually stunned at how much the coverage differs over at CNN en Español.

Mirador Mundial, CNN en Español 01/03/08
Translation by KABOBfest

GUILLERMO ARDUINO: We’re going to give you some geographical context so you can exactly see which areas are currently under fire at the moment. Let’s go to the Middle East. In red you see the Gaza Strip over to the left, and a little to the north you see the area… and also over to the east… but let’s concentrate on the Gaza Strip. There we see the southern border shared with Egypt marked in yellow and you see Rafah City on both sides as it straddles both areas. And if you look at the terrain, you’ll see the difference between the left—you see how Gaza is populated—and the right where you see how green it is in Israel, that it’s not very populated, and that there exist green farms. They are literally trapped [in Gaza]. So, there are 1.5 million people live [there], on one side the have the Mediterranean Sea to the west, to the east they have Jordan and Israel, and to the south, once again, we see they have Egypt. So that you have an idea then, there are approximately 450 people living per square km. It’s an area that’s 40 km long and 10 km wide. We are speaking of the Gaza area in the Middle East. Well then, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, Miguel d’Escoto, condemned Israel for the ground incursion and also criticized the UN Security Council’s conduct. He is also the ambassador of Nicaragua in the world organization and he’s here to talk to us about the results of the issues he brought up in the meetings that convened to analyze this conflict. Miguel d’Escoto, thanks for your time.

MIGUEL D’ESCOTO: Thanks to all of you. I would like to clarify before we begin that I am not Nicaragua’s representative at the United Nations. I am the president of the General Assembly, which is something different.

GA: Okay, his authority at this moment is as representative of the United Nations.

MD: That is to say, 200+ states. It’s the most representative authority in the United Nations.

GA: Exactly. And of course, the greatest worry of the UN, which is the organization that is dedicated to preserve and assure the peace, it clearly would like to see an immediately cease-fire in hostilities. What was it that Ban Ki Moon said today after today’s important and exceptional reunion? How do you as the president of the UN General Assembly [see it]?

MD: No. Look, the UN Security Council meeting that was convened for today has yet to take place. The members of the Security Council – the fifteen members – are in preliminary meetings with each other trying to figure out if they agree on anything sort of resolution. I’m hoping that this time they come out with something truly dignified regarding this situation that the world is watching in horror. But if the UN Security Council has proven anything throughout the years is that it is totally dysfunctional. It doesn’t work. The interests of some particular member states with veto power impede the Security Council to function as it is supposed to. This is why there is a movement for a profound reform of the Council so that it can comply with its commitments.

GA: At any rate, in that context, and these types of meetings are the ones that can pronounce themselves as a realizing an echo at the international level and stop the offensive. Today, Ban Ki Moon told the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, that they must immediately withhold their ground incursion and the attacks against the people trapped in Gaza.

MD: Look, in the first place I’d also like to say that Ban Ki Moon is the Secretary General, which is to say, he is the chief bureaucrat of the UN. He is not any authority to represent the UN in front of the world. The person who does represent the UN is the President [of the General Assembly]. And we have to… there are pre-given mechanisms in order to take action in case the dysfunctionality of the Security Council is proven. And we are, at the moment, analyzing precisely what to do, in order to pass a resolution in the General Assembly that is forceful and binding resolution—just like it was done to the U.S. in 1950 when it wanted to go into Korea and they were unable to receive the green light by the Security Council. That resolution, which is called “United for Peace,” might have to be called upon. That’s going to be up to me to decide that within the next two days.

GA: Does it appear to you that the UN has the force to achieve a cease of the hostilities or not?

MD: It has sufficient force to take measures in case the charter’s norms and principles are not complied with. And to the date, what’s causing this particular situation in Israel is that the UN Security Council resolutions since 1967 have yet to be complied with. And this is precisely because the U.S. vetoes every sanction that would force Israel to comply. This is the problem.

GA: Let’s talk a little… let’s return a bit to Ban Ki Moon’s ideas. Doesn’t it appear to you that his telephone discussion with Ehud Olmert might have some weight at the international level in order to reach a change in attitude or to succeed in having other countries intervene because clearly, without the participation of other countries, there will be no resolution in this case because both of the conflicting parties have vowed to fight until the last breath.

MD: That’s true, but as I’ve said, the Secretary General’s position isn’t one that has that type of function. You understand? We are talking about the United Nations, and the only person that represents the organization, who has that type of authority, and who is democratically elected—not appointed—is the President of the General Assembly. We are going to see what we can do. Hopefully what the Secretary General has done or will continue to do will help. But we need to do much more than that.

GA: So when do you estimate that you’ll meet?

MD: The General Assembly?

GA: Yes.

MD: Well, the UN procedures take time. First it needs to be proven that the Security Council is incapable of achieving peace. Afterward, that’s a question of days—two or three days in order for it to convene.

GA: Miguel d’Escoto, President of the UN General Assembly, thanks for your time. Good luck.

MD: Thanks, Guillermo.

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