At UN, Eritrea in Line for ACABQ, Botswana Aims to Keep It, Kenya to Jump
In?
By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, August 8, 2012 -- One of the few overseers of the UN's murky
spending is its Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions
or ACABQ. The chairman has been Collen Kelapile of Botswana, often found at
seven pm or later in the North Lawn building, well versed in the nitty
gritty of the UN's budget.
But now, based on the system of rotation in place at the UN, Kelapile
faces replacement, by an Eritrean.
Inner City Press has confirmed with the Eritrean mission that they have
the endorsement not only of the African Union or also the "East Africans."
Other sources say that Botswana and southern Africa are arguing, why give up
seniority and the chairmanship for this mere rotation?
Eritrea replies that it gave up claims on a vice presidency of the General
Assembly. Others say Kenya, seeing the split, aims to jump into the fray,
arguing that a country under sanctions like Eritrea is not well placed to
head ACABQ.
This is the way that wheeling and dealing is done at the UN, and why so
much escapes oversight. Watch this site.
*********************************************On Sudans After Oil Deal,
Questions of Heglig & Proof, Pipes At 20% Capacity
By Matthew Russell Lee, Partial exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, August 7 -- Even just after a rare agreement between Sudan
and South Sudan, on oil transfer fees, at the UN in New York there were
clouds on the horizon, how ever small.
Inner City Press asked UN envoy Haile Menkerios about the deal. He was
pleased, but noted that there is still the question of the Heglig needing to
be fixed. Most of South Sudan's oil is in Unity State and has to travel
north through the pipeline at Heglig which, he said, is only operations at
twenty percent capacity.
Moments later Inner City Press asked South Sudan's ambassador Francis
Nazario. He said that Sudan has to repair Heglig. He said that while Sudan
claims the damage was done during South Sudan's occupation, "they have to
prove that."
A Security Council Deputy Permanent Representative told Inner City Press
there are still things to be worked out.
Sudan's Permanent Representative seems sure to come for the Security
Council session about the Sudans and Abyei on August 9. South Sudan will be
sending a foreign minister. Watch this site.
