Reign of grand illusionists, By Owei Lakemfa

Does Ambassador Ayalogu expect Russia to vote for its own expulsion?…This, of course, is not the only rabbit-brained proposal on this matter. Others state that when the Charter was drawn up in 1945, there was no Russian Federation; which is now the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR. So with the disintegration of the USSR, Russia automatically lost its membership of the United Nations. So all you have to do is go home and apply for membership. Welcome to the world of the great illusionist.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine is in Washington, where, in a speech to the American Congress on December 21, he repeated some of his daily speeches at home. One thread I picked up was the claim that the war with Russia is about democracy and the outcome will determine whether or not humanity lives in a “democratic” world.

He said America’s spending on the Ukrainian War was not charity, but “an investment in global security and democracy”. The deception that the war is about democracy has taken over social media, where we are urged to support Ukraine because the war with Russia is a “global war for democracy”. In fact, the crisis in Ukraine, which has erupted in the Russian-Ukrainian War, has been precipitated by the extreme right of Ukraine, which has repeatedly rejected the ballot box, resulting in two bloody coups and the subsequent decision of Eastern Ukraine to secede.

Ukraine is an integral part of Russia which, with a majority of 92.3%, approved the Declaration of Independence on August 24, 1991. They decided that the ballot box would determine who would lead their affairs. The turning point came in the 2004 elections, when the pro-Russian candidate from Eastern Ukraine and former Governor of Donetsk, Viktor Yanukovych, won the December 26 election, defeating his rival, Viktor Yushchenko. He was then announced as the winner.

However, some forces that prefer the pro-Western leader, rejected him and mobilized protests in the capital, Kiev, which is located in the north-central region. The president-elect has not been able to fight the protests effectively because his support base is in Ukraine’s eastern regions of Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk. The protests, dubbed the ‘Orange Revolution’, led to the cancellation of the election. In the new elections, the former loser, Yushchenko, was declared the winner.

Yanukovych ran again in the 2010 election, sweeping the polls. This time he was sworn. Three years into his presidency, his government rejected the agreement of the European Union. Instead, he opted for closer ties with Russia. Again, pro-Western elements staged a protest in Kiev, baptizing it as “Euromaidan”. There were counter-protests in other regions, especially in the East.

Let me first clarify that they have the right to support Ukraine. I also wouldn’t be mad at him for insisting there will be no peace talks until Russia withdraws from Ukraine. However, what I am trying to do is misinform and mislead the Nigerian public that, however difficult it may be, Russia can be kicked out of the UN and the UN Security Council for engaging in war with its neighbours.

On February 21, 2014, President Yanukovych, who claimed there was an attempt on his life, fled Kiev to exile in Russia. This was the second coup, but Ukrainians in the east rejected this coup and opted for armed separatism. There were two international peace agreements in Minsk to end the conflict, but the new authorities in Kiev refused to implement them. However, they prefer to continue the attack on Eastern Ukraine and join NATO as a guarantee that Russia will not intervene militarily to help its supporters in Eastern Ukraine. Given these facts, how can the Ukrainian War be sold as one for global democracy?

However, it is the nature of Western propaganda that is being forced down the throats of many countries. Nigeria is one such target, with entire television stations dedicated to pumping Ukrainian propaganda to Nigerians every day, without any regulatory or professional media body batting an eye.

In their daily invasion of our homes, this media bombards Nigerians with Ukrainian propaganda in the form of news and news analysis. It is like packaging cigarettes as candy and, therefore, fails to write warnings that cigarettes are harmful to health because they cause cancer, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and chronic bronchitis. Even if the media organization does not say who is funding this project, it is professionally necessary to show that it is an advertisement, so that the audience can make suggestions.

Unfortunately, even respected diplomats are participating in this marketing gambit. For example, Ambassador Joseph. U. Ayalogu, Nigerian and former permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva and one-time ambassador to Switzerland, lends credibility to such inanities.

Let me first clarify that they have the right to support Ukraine. I also wouldn’t be mad at him for insisting there will be no peace talks until Russia withdraws from Ukraine. However, what I am trying to do is misinform and mislead the Nigerian public that, however difficult it may be, Russia can be kicked out of the UN and the UN Security Council for engaging in war with its neighbours.

I am simply stating that Russia, as a Permanent Member of the UNSC with veto power, cannot be suspended, let alone expelled, as Ambassador Ayalogu claims. My authority is the UN Charter. On expulsion, Article 6 of the Charter states: “Members of the United Nations who persistently violate the Principles contained in the present Charter may be expelled from the Organization by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council.”

I consider Zelensky, who made the request, to be an ignorant propagandist and illusionist. Even America’s allies laughed when they made the request. Therefore, I do not expect an experienced diplomat who is also an expert at the UN in Nigeria to take Zelensky’s request seriously or to declare it “fair enough”. The least I want from Ambassador Ayalogu is to know about the UN Charter, which is an 8,907 word document. I believe he is, so why he chooses to misinform Nigerians is confusing.

I am simply stating that Russia, as a Permanent Member of the UNSC with veto power, cannot be suspended, let alone expelled, as Ambassador Ayalogu claims. My authority is the UN Charter. On expulsion, Article 6 of the Charter states: “Members of the United Nations who persistently violate the Principles contained in this Charter may be expelled from the Organization by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council.”

The problem is how do you ask the Security Council to recommend the expulsion of permanent members when each of the Big Five – the United States, France, Britain, China and Russia have the authority to veto any decision taken, either by the Council or all UN members in this regard.

Regarding the power of veto, Article 27 (3) of the Charter states: “Decisions of the Security Council on all other matters shall be made by the affirmative vote of nine members, including the affirmative vote of the permanent members; if, in the decision in Chapter VI, and in paragraph 3 of Article 52, the parties to the dispute must abstain from voting. Chapter VI and Article 52 are non-binding resolutions.

Does Ambassador Ayalogu expect Russia to vote for its own expulsion? Does diplomacy work; which entity will be expected to choose its own liquidation? This, of course, is not the only hare-brained proposal in this matter. Others state that when the Charter was drawn up in 1945, there was no Russian Federation; which is now the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR. So with the disintegration of the USSR, Russia automatically lost its membership of the United Nations. So have to go home and apply for membership. Welcome to the world of the great illusionist.

Owei Lakemfa, former secretary general of African labor, is a human rights activist, journalist and author.