LAW-BREAKING U.N. DIPLOMATS MAY LOSE THEIR WELCOME MATS.Byline: Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. It's a hard-to-grasp concept for some of the 185 diplomatic missions Noun 1. diplomatic mission - a mission serving diplomatic ends delegation, deputation, delegacy, commission, mission - a group of representatives or delegates foreign mission, legation - a permanent diplomatic mission headed by a minister of the United Nations: democracy in parking. ``This is an organization that's supposed to be founded on law and respect, and what they're trying to do is beat New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. out of thousands and thousands of tickets,'' Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Friday. The mayor not only repeated his longstanding complaint about diplomatic immunity A principle of International Law that provides foreign diplomats with protection from legal action in the country in which they work. Established in large part by the Vienna conventions, diplomatic immunity is granted to individuals depending on their rank and the from the tow truck. He went so far as to suggest the United Nations move out if its people can't follow parking regulations. On April 1, the city cracked down on illegal parking by cars with the distinctive red, white and blue diplomatic plates. The diplomats say New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of is too crowded, that they have nowhere to park and no choice but to invoke immunity and ignore the city's fines. They voted Thursday to convene the General Assembly by April 17 on the parking issue. That twist amused a·muse tr.v. a·mused, a·mus·ing, a·mus·es 1. To occupy in an agreeable, pleasing, or entertaining fashion. 2. the mayor. ``They actually want to . . . make the World Court into the Parking Violations Parking Violation The illegal practice of an acquiring company concealing ownership of the target company by holding stock under a related third party before attempting corporate takeover. Bureau,'' he said. Giuliani said he would have no problem going down in history as the mayor who drove the United Nations out of New York so the world body's prime East Side location could become a theater, or a hotel, or an apartment complex. ``I wouldn't mind, if in fact we could develop that property,'' Giuliani said. ``We could have - who knows what could be there?'' Indeed. One Manhattan real-estate heavyweight said if the United Nations followed through on a vague threat to relocate, the 18-acre stretch along the East River would be worth $720 million - undeveloped. The federal government, however, would have first claim on the U.N. property. And State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns Nicholas Burns may refer to:
``We welcome the United Nations in the United States . . . We want the U.N. to stay,'' Burns said. ``And the U.N. is going to stay.'' The city thought it had a deal with the State Department so that U.N. scofflaws, like others who fail to pay parking fines within a year, would face the loss of license plates and driving privileges. On Friday, the State Department was wavering on that point. A modified version of the crackdown would only target ``a repeat offender (who) . . . incurred significant fines and has not paid,'' Burns said diplomatically. The city and its international guests have a history of strained relations. Although the United Nations provides New York with an estimated $1.2 billion a year in revenue, the city says the diplomats routinely act above the law. City statistics show that visiting diplomats disregarded 134,281 summonses last year, up 11 percent from 1995. Translation: They beat the city out of more than $6 million. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani says diplomats had better get the hang of parking regulations in his city. Associated Press |
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