Mass boycott leads to awkward silence at UN Kim tribute

[Violet_Crumble]

December 24, 2011
The Age

NEW YORK: The United States, Japan, South Korea and most leading European countries have boycotted a minute's silence at the United Nations General Assembly for North Korea's late leader, Kim Jong-il.

Australia's representative was in the General Assembly during the tribute.

The tribute, demanded by North Korea, was the highest-profile international move yet sought by the government in Pyongyang in its quest for global recognition for the hardline leader, who died last Saturday at the age of 69.

The awkward silence was a ''protocol'' move following a North Korean request, according to the UN General Assembly president, Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser.



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/mass-boycott-leads-to-awkward-silence-at-un-kim-tribute-20111223-1p8la.html#ixzz1hRhziGFc

[Quantess]

1. after reading the article

it looks like everything about kim jong il has inspired awkward reactions.

[dipsydoodle]

2. Perhaps NK will remind the US and the others

of this childish act when negotiations are next due to occur.

[24601]

4. How would you handle a tribute proposed for Hitler or Stalin? n/t

[Posteritatis]

6. A minute's applause, maybe. (nt)

[David__77]

7. Eisenhower gave condolences on Stalin's death

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2506&dat=19530306&id=PyVaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7UsNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4051,1373131

These are diplomatic things. Obviously, the US was at war with Germany when Hitler died, and so there was celebration of Hitler's death. The US was not at war with the Soviet Union, and in fact were allied during the greatest of all wars.

[Spider Jerusalem]

9. And so did Churchill

but offering condolences isn't quite the same thing as demanding a minute's silence at the UN, either. It's diplomatic to tender condolences at such a time, to a nation that's lost a leader, yes; it's singularly undiplomatic, and in fact shockingly bad form, to demand tributes. Boycotting this was, I'm afraid, the right thing to do.

[David__77]

10. The minute silence is a fairly normal UN protocol for leaders who die in office.

Boycotting the session was unnecessary. And actually it brings forth the fact that "the West" is a minority in the world: Russia, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Egypt, Indonesia, etc., are the large and growing majority of the world population. Let's try to find accord if possible.

[Posteritatis]

11. Two thirds of the UN membership boycotted this, not just "the West." (nt)

[Spider Jerusalem]

12. Not as far as I am aware generally accorded to dictators.

Nor demanded by the deceased's own country. As I say, poor form.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

3. hmm, a fairly petty move i must say to boycott

Hopefully Norway wasn't one of the boycotters, if we were then I'm disappointed in our representative

[Kalidurga]

5. Really this is the best we can do...

boycott a tribute for a mass murderer? North Korea needs a lot more than a boycott.

[noamnety]

8. as do we.

The situation is awkward, eh?

[philly_bob]

13. I would have been silent, but without standing up or bowing my head.

I remember I was copy editor of a student newspaper when J.Edgar Hoover died. Someone wrote a critical editorial about his death. I wrote the equally critical headline "Good Riddance to a Bad Man" and the writer got really mad at me.

You don't crow publicly over someone's death.