7 Oct 2019 19:36

Moscow insists on UNGA First Committee not starting work without Russian delegation

NEW YORK. Oct 7 (Interfax) - Moscow will insist that the United Nations General Assembly First Committee should not begin official work until the United States has issued visas to the Russian delegation, its acting head and Deputy Permanent Representative at the UN office in Geneva, Andrei Belousov, said.

"We are not seeing any positive gestures on the U.S. part, and we will therefore continue to insist that the First Committee should not begin its work until we see real steps from Americans towards changing the situation," Belousov told Interfax on Monday.

This primarily involves "issuing a visa to those members of our delegation who were refused one," he said.

"[Moscow] won't stop asking the First Committee to support Russian efforts to change the situation, so that the First Committee, with its authority, signal to the U.S. side accordingly.

"There is support among Committee members, there is a group of like-minded people" and "there is a common understanding that this situation has to be resolved somehow."

"Most delegations sympathize and understand what's going on," Belousov said.

The First Committee deals with disarmament and related issues of international security.