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Authors: Gennady Gatilov, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation
Vladimir Kikilo, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the United News Service, TASS Russian News Agency
The world's universal organization, which is marking
its 70th anniversary,deals with very important things:
the maintenance of international peace and security,
development problems, the eradication of diseases
and poverty, the promotion of social progress and
providing better living standards for people through-
out the world - in short, everything that is recorded
in the UN Charter, which was adopted 70 years ago.
This, as they say, is no joking matter.
If we look back in history it may be recalled that the
first General Assembly session took place in London in February 1946. It made the decision to
establish the Organization's headquarters in New York City.
Moscow supported the choice. At the same time, only a few people know about a historical
episode related to the decision.
The supreme commander-in-chief believed that the UN headquarters should be in the United
States. This was the only way, he stressed, of tying America firmly to the UN and using this or-
ganization to impact on Washington's behavior on the international arena. Stalin recalled the in-
glorious fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed shortly before the war not least because
the U.S. had withdrawn from it.
The fact that even in the most difficult and strained historical periods there is room for humor
at the UN should inspire optimism.
Russia's voluntary contribution to the project was the design of the UN Security Council Con-
sultations Room. It is in fact the main room where Council members meet every day to discuss
important issues on the agenda and prepare draft resolutions and decisions.
Of course, the UN is a serious political organization, but it would be wrong to portray the United
Nations as a kind of "an order of sword bearers" whose faces never smile. As any living organism
- and the UN is,without a doubt, a living organism - its "residents" cannot always live under con-
stant strain. Despite the seriousness of the political issues under consideration there are situations
that cannot but arouse an emotional reaction. And sometimes it is impossible to do without a
good joke here.
Generally speaking, many UN diplomats are outstanding personalities and have hobbies. Re-
member, for example, a French ambassador who closely watched his colleagues: Many of them
had their favorite corners in the lobbies of the UN building where they preferred to relax during
the brief leisure hours. He took note of their habits and later even published a pamphlet de-
scribing his colleagues' character and preferences.
http://interaffairs.ru
The UN: No Place for Jokes?