UN Day on Capitol Hill

It’s a big day for the United Nations here on Capitol Hill. Fresh from a private breakfast with Ban Ki Moon, several members of Congress filed into the room for a hearing with UN Ambassador Susan Rice.  Later, Ban Ki Moon will hold a press briefing with Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar who head the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Here are the newsiest bits for UN insiders.

Rice, in response to a question from Illeana Ros-Lehtinen, says United States is deeply concerned about so-called Durban 3.  Says she does not “anticipate the United States posture will change,” meaning that in all likelihood, the United States will not participate in the Durban Review Conference in New York in September.

At a joint press conference with Senator Kerry, Ban issued a veiled ultimatum to Laurent Gbagbo.