October 08, 2021
Iran and five other countries have sent a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres complaining that the United States is harassing their diplomats with excessive demands and restrictions.
According to PressTV, in the joint letter sent September 16, the ambassadors to the UN from Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, Russia, Syria and Venezuela said Washington was violating its obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement of 1947, and demanded that the case be referred to a tribunal for settlement.
In particular, the letter charged that the Americans continue to issue visas so late that there is no time for delegates from the six to participate in UN events or to work at the permanent missions.
With regard to one delegation’s experience, the letter said upon receiving notification of approved visas, the delegates must travel to a third country to collect them, but then have to wait 10 to 14 days after arrival due to delays in the processing of the visas.
The letter went on to say that in other cases, single-entry visas are issued for a limited period of time or with considerable delay, a practice that “impedes the effectiveness of participation of our states in the work of the organization and leads to unacceptable hardship for members of our permanent missions who are prevented from visiting their home countries for years, even for humanitarian reasons.”
The letter also said there are also impediments to obtaining visas for UN officials who are citizens of the six countries but employed by the United Nations, not by the six countries.
The 1947 Headquarters Agreement between the US and the UN gives the UN chief authority to refer disputes to a tribunal for settlement.
“We are convinced that the establishment of a neutral arbitration tribunal and its legal conclusions on the scope of its powers and the pressing problems of the day-to-day life of delegations would be beneficial for the smooth and effective functioning of the UN,” the six states said.
