On
Libya, Ban's
Defense of
NATO, France
& Qatar
Slammed by
Russia
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 19 --
On Monday,
Russian
Ambassador
Vitaly Churkin
criticized
NATO for
having denied
it killed
civilians in
Libya, and
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon for
having said
that NATO
strictly
complied with
the mandate of
Security
Council
Resolution
1973, to
protect
civilians.
Churkin
said that
if NATO can't
investigate
itself for
killing
civilians, the
UN should
help. Inner
City Press
asked Churkin
if he meant
that the
UNSMIL
mission under
Ian Martin
should
investigate,
or the UN
Human Rights
Commission
under Navi
Pillay.
In the first
instance it
should be
NATO, Churkin
said. He
declined to
say if the
issue will be
raised
directly to
Ban at his
lunch on
December 20.
Back
on Friday,
December
16, Inner
City Press asked
Ban's
Associate
Spokesman
Farhan
Haq about
Ban's strange
claim that
resolution
1973 had been
strictly
complied with,
despite
evidence of
civilians
being killed
and a TV
station
damaged by
NATO bombing,
of the French
air dropping
in
weapons to the
Nafusa
mountains, of
Qatar having
had "boots on
the ground"
during the
conflict:
Inner
City
Press:
The
Secretary-General,
in his press
conference
this week,
said
resolution
1973, I
believe, was
strictly
enforced
within that
limit, within
that mandate.
I wanted to
know,
does this…
what does he
think of… does
he believe
that NATO
should
investigate
these deaths
and is that…
is the number
50? It
seems the
mandate was
very much to
protect
civilians and
not kill
them; what did
he mean when
he said that
it was fully
implemented
and
within the
mandate?
Associate
Spokesperson
Haq: Simply
that. The
Secretary-General,
I stand behind
what he said
just two days
ago; he does
believe that
NATO carried
out
its mandate,
the mandate
that was
provided under
resolution
1973
(2011). He
believes that
they took
action to
protect
civilian
lives. Beyond
that, I
wouldn’t have
any further
comment about
the Human
Rights Watch
report. That
report is
really
directed
towards NATO,
and it is for
them to report
to their
recommendations.
Inner
City Press:
You can see
how the two
seem to be
related. I
mean, I guess
what I
am saying is
that is what
he said, and I
understood he
said it, is it
inconsistent
with the idea
that NATO may
have
inadvertently
killed
civilians?
Associate
Spokesperson:
He stands
behind what he
said. He
believes that
NATO
carried out
the mandate as
faithfully as
it could.
(c) UN Photo
Ban speaks
previously at
NATO, response
to Churkin not
yet shown
Inner
City Press:
One last
question on
that. It
seemed clear
that one of
the things
they did was
to bomb a TV
station, and I
am just
wondering, is
that…
I mean, again
I am just
trying to
understand
what the
statement
means. Was
that… does
this mean that
Ban Ki-moon
believes that
the
bombing of a
TV station is
the protection
of civilians?
Associate
Spokesperson:
Again, I don’t
have anything
further to say
beyond
what the
Secretary-General
said two days
ago. Comments
about NATO
actions, I
think, it
would be up
for NATO to
respond to
those. So, I
think you need
to ask NATO.
Inner
City Press:
But just, I
mean,
obviously he
is speaking…
when he says
it was
implemented
correctly, he
means he is
speaking about
NATO.
Associate
Spokesperson:
He said what
he said and he
stands by it.
Haq
said that Ban
stood by it --
Inner City
Press, as
noted since by
more than one
Security
Council
mission, was
not allowed
any questions
of Ban at his
press
conference
-- but now
that Churkin
has explicitly
criticized
Ban's
statement,
will a
"clarification"
issue, as it
has on Ban's
initial
total
deference to
member states
on drones?
Watch this
site.
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