Ban's
UN
Silent 13
Hours as Saleh
Gunmen Take
Yemen Airport
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 7 -- The
UN has touted
as a rare
success its
role in
Yemen, where
Ali Saleh
ostensibly
stepped down
in exchange
for
impunity. But
now that
gunmen loyal
to Saleh have
taken over the
Sana'a
airport, the
UN has nothing
to say.
Early
on April 7
-- 13 hours
ago as of this
initial
publication --
Inner City
Press
asked UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's two
top spokesman
if Ban had
"any comment
(or calls)
about the
reported
closing of the
Sana'a
airport by
elements of
Yemen's
military?"
Ban's
office
provided no
comment or
response, even
as it sent out
messages
touting
an upcoming
"Google +"
chat by Ban
with young
people,
presumably in
Yemen as well.
Ban's UN likes
good news, at
any cost.
The day
previous, it declined any
comment on the
death of
Malawi's
president
until after
for example
the US had
chimed in an
urged the
transition of
power to the
vice president.
Only once that
happened
did Ban
timidly
comment.
Some
skeptics
wonder if in
this case, Ban
wants to see
if Salah
emerges
stronger,
so that Ban is
not found
criticizing a
strongman who
is returning
to
the fore.
Last
year when the
impunity deal
was announced,
Ban appeared
in the half
light in front
of the
Security
Council to
deliver
prepared
quotes to
selected
friendly
journalists.
Inner City
Press was
there was
well, as that
is
from where it
works. After
Ban delivered
sound bites
about his
conversation
that day with
Saleh, Inner
City Press asked if he
had
raised the
amnesty. It
wasn't
discussedin
detail,
Ban said.
Now
Ban is silent
as Saleh's men
take over the
capital's
airport. There
are others in
the UN who
have tried to
work against
impunity. But
Ban is not
among
them -- Ban
has allowed,
without
comment or
"discussion in
detail" beyond
saying it's
entirely up to
member states,
an alleged war
criminal to
become his
adviser on
peacekeeping
operations.
And so it goes
in
Ban's UN.
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