Russia, Costa Rica Want to Keep on Smoking at UN:
Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke too soon in trying to ban smoking from U.N. headquarters with several fuming diplomats on Tuesday trying to find ways around the prohibition.Based on the UN's track record, they'll sort this out in a decade or so.
At a meeting of the General Assembly's committee on budget and administration, several delegates, led by Costa Rica and Russia, questioned the legal basis for Annan to put out such an order without a vote from member states.
In the end, the panel, which includes all 191 U.N. members, decided to ask Annan to explain the legal basis for his decision before taking any further action.
"It is the sort of issue that can catch fire, as it were," said one Western delegate, speaking on condition of anonymity. "It can get pretty disgusting in the basement where there are no windows but some delegates are spoiling for a fight and want to smoke."
