On
Libya,
UN Denies
AU Rift, Calls
Khatib's
Mediation a
"Success" As
Sources
Describe
"Amateur"
Moves
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 25 --
After the
failure of UN
envoy Abdul
Ilah Al Khatib
to
mediate in
Libya between
Gaddafi and
the Benghazi
based National
Transitional
Council
culminated in
street
fighting in
Tripoli, top
UN
political
official Lynn
Pascoe on
Thursday told
the Press that
Khatib
did an
"extraordinary
job."
Actually,
well
placed UN
sources tell
Inner City
Press that
early on Al
Khatib
fastened on an
idea -- not
even his --
that the
solution in
Libya
would involved
a five person
structure: two
from each
side, and one
"independent."
Whatever
the
wisdom of the
idea, the UN
sources say,
Khatib's
"amateur"
error was to
explicit
propose, or
dictate, the
idea in his
first
meetings in
Libya. The
idea was
rejected, and
Khatib was
well on his
way the
failure of
mediation
culminating in
heavy weapons
in Tripoli.
Pascoe
called
detailed
Press reports
of in-fighting
between Khalif
and the UN's
British
"post-conflict"
envoy Ian
Martin a
"fantasy
that some of
you spin out."
The problem is
that the
details and
complaints
about Martin,
and Khatib,
come from all
over,
including
inside
Pascoe's
Department of
Political
Affairs.
(Some
surmise that
the "fantasy"
that most
bothered
Pascoe was the
Press
report that
that he's told
a close
American
friend that he
wants to
leave, and
others in DPA
say he's
promoting
Martin for the
Libya job
so that no
Brit succeeds
in succeeding
him atop DPA.
The quotes
were
not run
maliciously,
merely
reportorial.)
Pascoe
also denied
any rift
between Ban
Ki-moon's
Secretariat
and the
African Union,
despite for
example a
recent public
point /
counterpoint
between
Thabo Mbeki
and Ban's
chief of staff
Vijay
Nambiar,. (It
is not know
who wrote
Nambiar's
letter, which
has a
pro-democracy
tone that
Nambiar has
not brought to
his "Good
Offices" work
on
military
dominated
Myanmar.)
Pascoe said
Nambiar chairs
the Libya
meetings when
Ban is away,
which is
often.
On
the African
Union, Pascoe
said "we have
from the first
tried to be
inclusive
with everyone"
on "what can
and what
cannot be
done."
He cited the
invitation to
the AU for
Friday's
meeting, which
he said
will now
largely be by
video; he
mentioned
French
president
Sarkozy
setting a
September 1
meeting in
Paris, which
Ban Ki-moon
will
attend,
presumably in
person.
The
report on
Libya to Ban
Ki-moon,
written by
outside
consultant
Dirk
Vandevalle
then
transmitted by
Martin to Ban,
has caused
complaints by
saying
don't count on
the African
Union.
On
August 24,
Ban's
associate
spokesperson
wouldn't
confirm or
deny the line,
saying that
the report is
someone "not a
UN document."
But
wasn't it
created
entirely with
UN money?
Ban &
Khatib, use of
UN planes,
salary from
Jordan not
shown
Pascoe
replies ran
this way
I
won't say
anything on
the fantasy
that some of
you spin out
about
who's saying
what... We've
had more
cooperation
inside the UN
than
almost any
issue I can
remember. We
worked early,
inclusive,
everyone
talking, to
avoid the last
minute pushing
and shoving
that's a
possibility
around here.
It's clear
that process
has been
working
well and it
will continue
to work well.
There's a
relatively
clear
division of
labor [between
Martin and
Khatib], we're
near the end
of
it.... We're
very close to
post conflict.
But
there's
disagreement
about whether
the situation
in Libya can
or should be
called
"post-conflict."
Click
here for
that.
Footnote:
despite
Khatib's lack
of success in
mediating, now
various
Security
Council powers
call for a UN
role in Libya,
each for its
own reason:
as a
legitimator,
or to steer
power away
from the
Contact Group
/
Group of
Friends.
Because its
(video) phone
still rings,
the UN
Secretariat
appears to
learn little,
or at least
won't admit
publicly
to learning
anything.
We'll continue
to cover this.
, 
in