As Weisbrod-Weber Gets W. Sahara, Ladsous' Water Down, Eritrea Water Up?
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, June 16, 2012 -- Back on May 9 Inner City Press reported
that Morocco was trying to block the appointment of Wolfgang Weisbrod-Weber
as head of the UN mission in Western Sahara.
A letter of appointment was sent to the UN Security Council, on which
Morocco is six months into a two year elected term. But Morocco objected.
After more than a month's delay, on June 15 Wolfgang Weisbrod-Weber was
finally named SRSG of the MINURSO mission. But the status of envoy
Christopher Ross is less clear.
Since Morocco says they've lost confidence in him, he hasn't traveled to
the region; he is in limbo.
Western Sahara was the topic, after higher profile Malvinas / Falkland
Islands, in the so-called Committee of 24 on Friday. Inner City Press went
and asked Frente Polisario representative Ahmed Boukhari about the
confirmation of Wolfgang Weisbrod-Weber, and how Morocco's blocking of Ross
differed, if it does, from Polisario having lost confidence in previously
envoy Van Walsom.
Boukhari said that Ross was neutral, while Van Walsom "issued his own
report, against Western Sahara independence." He said that Ross had never
made such a comment, noting that the UN's reports on Western Sahara are
edited by, among others "Herve Ladsous, who is French." France supports
Morocco.
As Inner City Press reported, the two versions of the last report on
Western Sahara were watered down to drop allegations against Morocco of
limiting freedom of movement of the peacekeepers.
Inner City Press exclusively learned on Friday that a similar amateurish
post-publication is taking place on the forthcoming report on Eritrea. The
report already has a number (S/2012/412) and has been on the UN's ODS
Official Document Service.
But unlike the Western Sahara watering down, in this case it's a matter of
watering UP -- Ethiopia and others are said to want the report to be more
damning of Asmara. And so it goes at the UN.
