Visas for the UN conferences

The visa refusal by the US to the deputy chairman of Senate to attend the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York has yet another dimension to it. Even if the conference which was held under the auspices of the UN was on the US soil, how could the US limit its attendance by controlling the issuance of visas to delegates from other countries?  This shows the hegemonic authority of the US over the UN.

Though the UN Secretariat is in the US, various offices of the organisation are located in many other countries where international moots and conferences are held under the auspices of the UN. The US refusal to issue a visa to a member of one country can lead to other nations following suit. It would, therefore, be appropriate for the UN to have its own visa system to invite delegates for international conferences without giving control of the issue to the country where the moot is to be held.

Col (r) Riaz Jafri

Rawalpindi