re: "Diplomats: Loyal to Whom/What?"

Charles Crawford at Blogoir ("A digital hybrid of blog and memoir presented on a daily basis, or not.") self-quotes from DIPLOMAT magazine.

Money quote(s):

"(T)he Libya case has given rise to a spectacular number of high profile diplomatic changes of side, with one Libyan ambassador after another announcing support for the opposition forces struggling to bring down the Gaddafi regime.

Whereas host governments might or might not commend the high principle shown by such a defection, unwelcome problems quickly arise if some diplomats in an embassy switch sides but others don’t. Who is running the local Libyan embassy for the purpose of carrying on routine diplomatic business? Who gets invited to which functions? Does a Libyan diplomat who has announced a switch of loyalty still get diplomatic immunity? What about the official embassy car?

What if the uprising fails and Gaddafi wins – must we throw these people out of the Libyan Embassy?"

From a perspective of diplomatic visa issuance (and cancellation), what happens when a Libyan diplomat defects from his embassy, thus invalidating his legal reason for being present in your country?

"Could a worst-case scenario unfold, namely a de facto or even de jure partition of Libya, with unfathomable complications for Libya’s diplomatic representation at the UN and around the world? In short, the Libya drama exemplifies the greatest challenge to any diplomat’s loyalty to his/her country: what to do if the country slumps into civil war or even disappears altogether?

This problem was faced in acute form by Soviet diplomats when the USSR disintegrated in 1991. They had represented one massive state – what to do when the 15 former Soviet republics had each become a new country? For most diplomats born and raised in Russia, the choice was simple: stick with the new Russian Foreign Ministry.

But those diplomats born and raised elsewhere in the Soviet Union had a painful choice. Better to stay on in powerful Moscow as a Russian diplomat, or return to one’s home republic and hope for a role in the nascent and disorganised Foreign Ministry there? If the latter, would they be trusted by the new leadership?

Many chose to stick with the Russian Foreign Ministry. Thus in 1995 when Russia and Ukraine were haggling over the fate of the Black Sea Fleet, the negotiating team representing Russia included plenty of ethnic Ukrainian expert diplomats."

Which didn't work out so well for Ukraine.

He concludes with an excellent question.

"Could we see a tumultuous test of British diplomatic loyalties in the coming years if Scotland holds a referendum and opts for independence? Recent SNP gains show the country may well be heading in this direction.

Will the FCO’s sizeable tartan army of Scottish diplomats vote to stay in London representing a reduced UK or will they go north en masse to help Scotland set up its new diplomatic service?

In either case, who will trust them?"

Are they trusted now?

A related question attaches to those European diplomats who leave their own service for the EU's External Action Service. Does anyone trust them now? Will anyone trust them afterwards?

re: "We were all fooled by the “floating hotel” cover story, weren’t we?"

Murdoc at Murdoc Online ("my quasi-journalistic weblog with military news commanding the greater part of my attention") asks a more-or-less rhetorical question.

Money quote(s):

"It was sold by the Ukraine to China on the condition that it never be used as a warship."

I'm shocked, SHOCKED, to learn that China is welching on the terms of the deal. You could knock me over with a fender.

Pray they do not alter it any further.

re: "War Crimes"

Olli at Olli In Munich ("a serial expat currently living in Munich") has some news relating to immigration fraud.

Money quote(s):

"Ivan Demjanjuk might soon be appearing in a courtroom in Munich charged with war crimes. Demjanjuk, originally from The Ukraine, was a Red Army soldier captured by the Germans in 1942 who then chose to ally himself with his captors. After the war Demjanjuk settled in Germany, but left in 1951 and moved to the US."

"His US citizenship, which he had lost some years before his extradition, was restored. The US Justice Department appealed against this on the grounds that Demjanjuk had indeed been a concentration camp guard, even if not the one believed by the Israeli prosecutors. The court agreed and removed his citizenship once more. Demjanjuk's final appeal against the decision was rejected by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeal in 2004. As a stateless person Demjanjuk was liable to deportation if a country could be found willing to take him. However, neither Ukraine not Poland - where his alleged crimes were perpetrated were willing either to take or to put him on trial."

&

"(I)f Demjanjuk were acquitted I would assume that since he would have been deported rather than extradited and since he is no longer a US citizen the Germans would be stuck with him, either having to look after him until he dies or find another country willing to take him - which seems unlikely."

AO - After 4 months, Somalia pirates free Faina passengers and crew for ransom

Amandala Online

After 4 months, Somalia pirates free Faina passengers and crew for ransom


Posted: 06/02/2009 - 09:28 AM


Author: Adele Ramos

Deputy Registrar of the International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize (IMMARBE), Annette Garel, confirmed to Amandala this morning that the Somalia hijackers who invaded the Belize-flagged vessel, Faina, and took its crew and passengers hostage four long months ago were early this morning in the process of releasing the vessel.

Read the whole article here.

Snippet(s):

"International press reports say that Ukraine had paid the pirates a ransom of US$3.2 million to US$3.5 million for them to finally free the vessel and the persons who had been on board when they hijacked it.

The pirates were counting the money while they were leaving the vessel in small groups, said press reports."

&

"When the vessel was hijacked on September 25, 2008, there were 21 Ukrainians, Russians and Latvians onboard; however, the vessel’s Russian Master, Capt. Vladimir Kolobkov, had died shortly after from a heart attack."