Diplomats Agree on Nothing, Request Additional Time to Disagree
Five days of talks among 14 delegations produced a 42-page communiqué consisting entirely of bracketed text, and a 90-day extension that is itself in brackets.
Harriet Lowe
Diplomatic Correspondent
Harriet Lowe has covered 212 international summits, three of which produced a communiqué.
Bylined archive
UN General Debate Speakers Exceed 15-Minute Limit by Combined 11 Years in First 3 Days
The overruns, measured by a podium light that delegates have not looked at since 1960, have moved the session’s projected closing date to March 2038.
By Harriet Lowe ·
Neighboring Country Reportedly Annoyed We Keep Calling It ‘Neighboring Country’
A 14-page diplomatic note, delivered at a reception where the coffee was described as ’tepid but sincere,’ asks that the country be referred to by its name, which the note spells out three times.
By Harriet Lowe ·
Trade Talks Collapse Over Disagreement About What a Trade Is
Nine days of negotiations among 11 delegations ended without a definition of ’trade,’ after one delegation offered its deputy finance minister and a second-round pick.
By Harriet Lowe ·
Continental Delegation Walks Out of Summit After Realizing It Was Not Invited
The 14-member delegation had attended three days of the Varenne Forum on Regional Cooperation, co-sponsored two working papers, and been served 211 cups of coffee before checking the guest list.
By Harriet Lowe ·