UN Chief Denies Yielding to ‘Russian Blackmail’

UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has “categorically rejected” claims by Georgia’s UN ambassador that he caved into “the Russian blackmail” and modified wording of his recent report on situation in Abkhazia.

“The statement itself is very unfortunate,” the UN Secretary General said in a statement on May 28.

Alexander Lomaia, Georgia’s UN envoy said at a news conference in New York on may 27, that Russia threatened to veto a resolution on UN observer mission in mid-June if the wording of the report was not changed.

“The principal concern of the Secretary-General in the drafting of his Report has been that all concerned parties should engage on the substantive issues in question, more specifically on a mechanism to guarantee safety and security in this troubled region,” Ban Ki-moon said in the statement.

“The adoption of the title was meant to avoid unnecessary politicization of the debate among members of the Security Council and reflected his view of what all members could live with.”

“The Secretary-General rejects any suggestion that any threats were made to him in this connection,” he added.

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