As Wittig Takes Abyei Question Ladsous Refused, DPKO Tries Edit UNTV
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, September 28, 2012 -- The dispute between Sudan and South
Sudan about Abyei has been the subject of UN talk and spending at least
since the time of the defunct Peacekeeping mission UNMIS.
But on September 27, when Inner City Press asked "on Abyei, what is the
UN's role?" the chief of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations Herve
Ladsous refused to answer.
On September 28, after belatedly obtaining a response to the same
question from outgoing Security Council president Peter Wittig, Inner City
Press learned that Ladsous' DPKO had hit a new low.
DPKO asked to get even Inner City Press' question about Abyei removed
from the UN webcast archived video. That is the strategy: to censor or
modify the UN's video production to make it appear that no question was even
asked. A new low.
But here, even if this new low for the UN is achieved by Ladsous and (at
least) three spokespeople he has debased is successful, is YouTube video of
that Abyei question stakeout. Video here <
http://youtu.be/khMN5u8ev30> .
And German Ambassador Wittig, while seeking to focus on the congratulatory
aspect of the UNSC Press Statement he read out, said that the Security
Council will meet again about Sudan and South Sudan, and Abyei, and get a
briefing from envoy Haile Menkerios. Apparently, the bi-weekly meetings on
the Sudans will continue.
But what of Ladsous and his refusal to answer Press questions about his
job, and then attempts to get even the questions censored or edited out of
the UN's webcast video? Who is hurting the UN's credibility?
On Thursday evening, Ladsous' spokeswoman told the UNTV boom microphone
operator not to give the mic to Inner City Press, and tried to convince the
two other correspondents present to ask questions. But there were no other
questions. Ladsous walked away from the microphone as Inner City Press asked
the Abyei question. Now DPKO has asked to have the question edited out.
Ladsous is hitting a new low. Beginning in late May, after Inner City
Press ran an exclusive article about Ladsous' proposal behind closed doors
that DPKO use drones, Ladsous had refused to answer any Inner City Press
questions, no matter how simple.
Inner City Press asked Ladsous why his Department flew Congolese military
officials to a meeting to recruit the Mai Mai militia to fight another
group, the M23. Ladsous refused to answer.
But on Sudan and South Sudan, on which the member states which pay Ladsous'
tax-free salary have spent billions, after millions of people have been
killed, Ladsous' refusal to answer the basic question -- "on Abyei, what is
the UN's role?" -- is particularly troubling.
By contrast, at the very same stakeout area earlier on the same day, Inner
City Press questions were taken and answered by the foreign ministers of
Jordan and Italy, Australia and the Netherlands
<
http://webtv.un.org/watch/6th-ctbt-friends-ministerial-meeting-media-stakeo
ut/1864465895001/> . But Ladsous, ostensibly an international public
servant, won't answer.
A fish rots from the head, as the old saw goes. And this old saw, more
than one diplomat has said, should go. Watch this site.
*************************************************
At UN, Bragging of Sudans Deal But Abyei Unresolved and Little on Darfur
By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, September 27, 2012 -- A high-level meeting on the Sudans was
convened at the UN Thursday afternoon, less than a day after Presidents Omar
al Bashir and Salva Kiir reached agreements in Addis Ababa. It seemed there
would be drama, and so when "interested media" were summoned to cross the
barricades and go into the meeting, Inner City Press went.
Conference Room 3 was less than half full. Sudan was represented by
Foreign Minister Ali Karti, with whom Inner City Press spoke earlier in the
week. A member of his delegation conceded to Inner City Press that "Abyei is
not yet agreed," but predicted it would soon be.
Another African Union source came over and told Inner City Press "it'll
have to be decided by the PSC," the Peace and Security Council of the AU.
On a television screen in the front of the room, a major player seemed to be
missing: Thabo Mbeki, the head of the High Level Implementation Panel. "He's
delegated it," a Security Council member told Inner City Press.
Earlier in the day on another unresolved Sudan conflict, Darfur, the UN told
Inner City Press a day after it asked that
"UNAMID was prevented by Government security authorities from access to the
Kushina area (approximately 20 km south-east of Tawilla, North Darfur) to
verify reports of fighting between Government and movement forces. UNAMID
peacekeepers are continuing to endeavour to gain access to the area. The
Mission is calling on Government officials at all levels to allow its
personnel unrestricted freedom of movement throughout Darfur."
But this does not seem to be repeated, at least now, at the top levels at
the General Debate.
>From Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's team, there was the head of the
Department of Field Support Amira Haq, and off to the side her deputy Tony
Banbury. Her predecessor Susana Malcorra was in the front, now Ban's chief
of staff. There was speechwriter Michael Meyer and former deputy chief of
staff, now "Change Management" tzar Kim Won-soo, working the crowd.
Norway's foreign minister came in, with his Permanent Representative and
able, Sudan-focused staff. That Norwegian Hilde Johnson heads the UN's
mission in South Sudan gives the country an additional "dog in the hunt," as
the Clintonian colloquialism has it.
Hillary Clinton is in town, but not present at this meeting, just as she was
not at the meeting with Ban of the other foreign ministers of the Permanent
Five members of the Security Council. That was handled by Susan Rice, who
was not present at the beginning of the Sudans meeting.
In fairness, in the hall outside was a Rwandan delegation, and Inner City
Press surmises that Rice was meeting with that country's foreign minister.
(The Mission would not confirm this, but indicted that Rice would
participate in the later stages of the Sudans meeting).
Ban Ki-moon arrived, shaking hands all around, then delivered his upteenth
speech of the day. This was followed by the AU's outgoing Jean Ping, who
noted his successor -- painfully, one imagines, given the hard two-round
electoral campaign between them.
Then the UN's top Peacekeeper Herve Ladsous said, we will wait for the press
to be escorted from the room. As noted, Ladsous has since May repeatedly
refused to answer any questions from Inner City Press. Somehow, despite the
UN, the news continues to be reported -- but it is too often "despite the
UN." Watch this site.
Received on Fri Sep 28 2012 - 23:08:49 EDT
