Morning Multilateralism
Tuesday, July 7 2020
A United Nations human rights expert declares the U.S. killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani unlawful. She will present her full report to the UN Human Rights Council later this week.
From Reuters, more reporting on France-Turkey tensions and the implications for the NATO alliance. The friction has come to a head over the countries’ respective policies toward Libya. In a letter to the NATO secretary general, France reportedly demanded several changes in Turkish behavior:
It wants all 30 allies to reaffirm commitment to respecting the U.N. arms embargo on Libya, to ensure NATO signals are not used during national missions, to improve coordination between the NATO and EU missions in the Mediterranean, and to avoid similar incidents in the future.
At the last NATO defence ministers’ meeting in late June, via video link, eight countries including Germany, Italy and Spain backed seeking a more cooperative approach from Turkey.
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau declines to attend a celebration of the new Canada-Mexico-U.S. trade agreement. Friction with the Trump administration over possible new U.S. tariffs is likely a factor. Plus, Canada appoints a new UN ambassador in the wake of its failed Security Council bid.
The European Commission apologizes after the Commission president, former German minister Ursula von der Leyen, appears in a Croatian political video.
[T]he code of conduct for members of the European Commission states that they “shall abstain from making public statements or interventions on behalf of any political party or organization of the social partners of which they are members,” except for when they stand for election or participate in a vote.
Bretton Woods Online: The fall meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank will be virtual.
Mexico’s UN ambassador and legal adviser explain the country’s priorities for its upcoming term on the Security Council, including “demanding a balanced distribution between the E10 and the five permanent members (P5) of the Council’s roles and tasks.”
Ukraine considers the possibility that peacekeepers from the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe might deploy in the Donbass region.
In a new report, the United Nations Environment Program warns of an increase in zoonotic diseases as humans increasingly pressure animal habitats.