The UN’s last Security Council had a dramatic ending. During his last meeting, Germany’s UN envoy appealed to China to free two detained Canadians for Christmas. The appeal was met with China’s deputy UN’s envoy response: “Out of the bottom of my heart: Good riddance.”
After serving 40 years as a diplomat Ambassador Christoph Heusgen of Germany plans to retire. Heusgen wanted to use his last meeting to help bring two Canadians home for Christmas. “Let me end my tenure on the Security Council by appealing to my Chinese colleagues to ask Beijing for the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Christmas is the right moment for such a gesture,” Heusgen told the council session, whose official agenda topic was Iran.
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Shortly after Canadian police detained Huawei Technologies Co Ltd Chief Financial Officer, Meng Wanzhou, on a U.S. warrant, Chinese officials picked up Kovrig and businessman Spavor. Kovrig was a former Canadian diplomat who was working as an adviser for the International Crisis Group think tank.
China’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Geng Shuang, accused Heusgen of abusing the Security Council to launch “malicious” attacks on other members “in an attempt to poison the working atmosphere”.
“I wish to say something out of the bottom of my heart: Good riddance, Ambassador Heusgen,” Shuang said. “I am hoping that the council in your absence in the year 2021 will be in a better position to fulfil the responsibilities…for maintaining international peace and security.”
