UNITED STATES
Foreign diplomats seeking to enter the United States to attend the United Nations headquarters in New York say they are being singled out for slights and harassment if their countries have poor relations with the US.
Observers say this reflects the punitive nature of US foreign policy under President Donald Trump, whose Administration has sought ways to sanction or penalise individuals and countries that are viewed as hostile, or that simply refuse to comply with US demands.
It reinforces the perception among some diplomats that the US has contempt for the UN.
An American lawyer who previously served as Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs at the UN, Larry Johnson said it was not the first time the US had resorted to delaying tactics and harassment to keep unwanted foreigners out of the country.
“However, Washington is acting under weak or no legal grounds in denying access to UN headquarters,” Mr Johnson said.
A recent UN report detailed complaints by representatives from the delegations of China, Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia and Syria that their diplomats and support staff were subjected to increasingly restrictive travel limitations, arbitrary denial of visas and driver’s licenses, additional airport security checks and curtailed access to banking services.
Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres said he was concerned by recent US Government actions.
He listed two examples: The rejection of a visa for a Russian national hired by the UN and new travel restrictions imposed on the Iranian delegation and Foreign Minister after Tehran refused to participate in talks with Washington.
New York, 6 November, 2019
