Anyone interested in international politics knows that the UN Security Council, in addition to traditional meetings to consider the issues of peace and security, often gathers for so-called Aria-formula informal meetings. Various issues are discussed at these forums, which are convened by members of the UN Security Council who want to address certain topics. Speakers or individuals, to whom they want to convey a particular message, are invited to such meetings. Currently, Russia is actively using the format created by Arria to spread disinformation and try to justify the war against Ukraine.

 

The Aria formula was initiated by Venezuelan diplomat Diego Aria in 1992, when his country was a member of the UN Security Council. He took an active part in the trial of war criminals from former Yugoslavia.

Currently, the initiator of this format is in exile and lives in New York. His country, ruled by dictator Madura, persecutes Arria for his democratic beliefs.

We are talking to the patriarch of world diplomacy after another Arria-formula meeting convened by Russia on Friday to accuse Ukraine... of a war against itself.

 

RUSSIA IS USING ARRIA FORMAT FOR OTHER THAN ITS INTENDED PURPOSE – TO DEFEND AGGRESSION AGAINST A NEIGHBORING STATE

- Mr. Arria, on Friday, Russia held a meeting under the formula named in your honor, where it talked about the alleged war that Ukraine is waging in Donbas. How do you feel about such manipulative ways of using this meeting format?

- Well, let me tell you, I saw the procedure, and it was absolutely wrong. Wrong! The origin of the Arria format was to open the Security Council for the defense of human rights and freedom all over the world. It was to include members of government or institutions that were being mistreated or vandalized by regimes.

It was never, never intended to be used by a criminal estate regime like Putin’s to descend an impossible, to defend aggression against a peaceful neighboring country. I believe I felt so bad today because after all, it has my name. That's something that has proven to be so valuable for the international community, and could be misused by the Russian mission.

- In your opinion, as an experienced diplomat, does Russia have the right to be a member of the UN Security Council, given its gross violation of the UN Charter?

- I tell you, in a fairer world, it will be unthinkable to have a country like Russia as a member of the Security Council. But as you know, this is a system that we inherited since Second World War. And it has allowed Russia to actually try to bury the United Nations Charter. I've never been able to forget that, when Russia presided over the Security Council in February last year, they were presenting the Security Council, and at the same time, Putin invaded Ukraine.

That was a very strong message to the world. He couldn't care less for the charter of the United Nations. He could not care less for the world's opinion. That's actually the public position that Putin has today. 

 

- Is there any real way to remove Russia from the UN Security Council?

 

- Well, you know, I tell you something... If I could have the initiative, I would try, even knowing that it might not succeed. But I think a movement to try to remove them, remove Russia from the United Nations Security Council is a worthwhile exercise because it allows exposing even more crimes to the world, the responsibilities, and why it should not be part of the Security Council. 

But as I told you, this is not an assured victory by far, because it's complicated. It demands about two-thirds of the membership of the UNGA that afterward have to be voted by national assemblies. It is a complicated process because after all the UN Charter was created fundamentally according to the five members, to the permanent members, and of course, it's written in a way to defend themselves. 

 

- Do you follow the activities of the UN Security Council and international politics in general? 

 

- I do. I am on the board of the Security Council Report. And I've been there now for five or six years. So I follow that, and of course, I follow the Arria-formula meetings too.

The Russians have discovered the value of the Arria-formula because now they broadcast it over television, as you know. Therefore, it goes beyond the small room of the United Nations. They are transmitting falsehoods to the world. Moreover, they have created falsely to deny the crimes they are committing in Ukraine.

Yes, I do follow them… 

 

- Do you support the expansion of the Security Council by increasing the number of its members? Or depriving permanent members of the right to veto? 

 

- You know, if the veto did not exist, the United States, China, and Russia would not be members of the Security Council. Actually... When the United Nation was created, the two countries forced more on introducing the veto, it was the Soviet Union and the United States.

 

 

RUSSIA'S PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE IS AT A DEMENTIA STAGE

- Have you heard about the war mosquitoes that Ukraine is allegedly preparing for the war with Russia, secret biolabs, dirty bombs, and chemical weapons of Ukraine? All this absurdity was spread by Russia and its representative Nebenzya through the UN Security Council. 

 

- Well, Nebenzya is at a dementia stage... I think I heard something, but I'm not so sure, what did you mean by that? 

 

- That there are biological laboratories in our country, where Ukraine together with the USA produce some sort of bacteria for mosquitoes, birds, and other animals, and spread them to Russia to infect them…

 

- Well, as I say this is a dementia stage by the Russian ambassador... 

- It was reported in the media that the UN is teeming with Russian spies. Did you feel this when you worked here? 

 

- It was different. Because I was working more during the time of Yeltsin.

Well, it was I think I lived almost the honeymoon of the world, which did not last very long, but it was a world that was very united between 1990 and 1993, you know, when the decision on the Iraq war was adopted unanimously, et cetera. So, it was a different Russia, not under a criminal Russia like Putin's Russia today.

 

- Do you maintain any connection with your homeland, Venezuela? 

 

- Well, I am a political exile... I have an order of arrest from the military regime in Venezuela. For the last seven years, I have not been able to return to my country where I have an order of arrest. After fighting for so many years for freedom all over the world, I find myself with my freedom suspended.

 And I follow, I am very active in the Venezuelan political process as an exile. 

 

HISTORY TEACHES US THAT JUSTICE WILL REACH DICTATORS

- I see. You know very well what a dictator is. What do you think awaits Putin and Lukashenko? 

- You know, I was a witness against Slobodan Milosevic in The Hague. And when we met him in 1990 or 1991, neither he nor anybody in the international community thought that one day we would prosecute him.

10 years later, I was a witness against him when we prosecuted him as we did also with General Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic.

So, those people believe that you know, justice will never get them. The history, the background tells you that yes, you can get them, and justice will reach them.

But I believe that the way to reach them will not be through the International Criminal Court that, you know, takes years and years. It will be more in a Special Tribunal like it was in the case of former Yugoslavia. And I hope Ukraine will get a special court to prosecute Putin and his allies. 

You know, I follow Ukraine things very closely, and I've told Ambassador many times that I'm willing to do anything they need. I would be very pleased to help in any way I can, as I did in the case of Muslims.

I just published a book called “War and Terrorism in the Heart of Europe”.

You can look at the summary in English on Amazon. You know, the cases of Yugoslavia and Ukraine have many similarities.

Milosevic used people that have Serbian origin or links with Serbia in certain parts of Croatia and Bosnia. It’s exactly what Putin did in Crimea. It is the same script, but the international community has allowed them to repeat the same script. Like they allowed Milosevic to do it originally, though they were able to stop them like they could have stopped Putin in 2014. 

 

- Thank you so much. I was very pleased to communicate with such a legendary person as you. 

 

Volodymyr Ilchenko, New York

 

Photo: United Nations Watch