On
Burundi, UN
Peacebuilding
Statement,
Bland But
Issued, Here
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, May
15 -- When the
UN
Peacebuilding
Configuration
on Burundi
held a closed
meeting on May
15, Burundi's
ambassador
began by
saying that
almost all of
the coup
plotters have
been arrested.
Later when it
was suggested
that the Configuration
issue a
statement,
Inner City
Press is told,
the United States
expressed doubt.
But one was
circulated,
and was agreed
to and issued
past 7 pm on
May 15, as
this:
The
Situation in
Burundi
Statement by
the Burundi
Configuration
of the UN
Peacebuilding
Commission
New York, 15
May 2015 – The
PBC Burundi
Configuration
(see
below)
met today to
hear an update
on the
situation in
Burundi by the
Permanent
Representative
of Burundi,
H.E. Mr.
Albert
Shingiro, as
well as by the
UN’s
Under-Secretary-General
for Political
Affairs, Mr.
Jeffrey
Feltman.
Today’s
meeting of the
PBC Burundi
Configuration
has been its
third since 29
April 2015.
The PBC
Burundi
Configuration
highlights the
importance of
dialogue and
reconciliation
among all
Burundians to
address the
root causes of
the current
crisis. It
stresses the
need to find a
lasting
political
solution that
ensures
Burundi’s hard
gained
progress in
peace
consolidation
and
peacebuilding.
The PBC
Burundi
Configuration
calls on all
Burundians to
urgently
establish,
through open
dialogue and a
spirit of
compromise,
the necessary
conditions for
the holding of
free,
transparent,
credible,
inclusive and
peaceful
elections.
The PBC
Burundi
Configuration
welcomes,
encourages and
fully supports
continued
regional
engagement in
Burundi,
particularly
by the East
African
Community, the
African Union
and the
International
Conference of
the Great
Lakes Region,
with a view to
finding a
lasting
solution to
the crisis.
The PBC
Burundi
Configuration
equally
commends UN
efforts,
particularly
through the
Special Envoy
of the
Secretary
General to the
Great Lakes
Region, Mr.
Saïd Djinnit,
and MENUB. It
fully backs
the Special
Envoy’s
mandate.
The PBC
Burundi
Configuration
will continue
to follow the
situation
closely and
stands ready
to help
Burundi at
this critical
juncture of
its journey
towards
sustainable
peace and
development.
The
Configuration
is composed of
the following
countries, UN
representatives
and regional
and
international
financial
institutions:
Angola,
Bangladesh,
Belgium,
Bosnia
Herzegovina,
Brazil,
Cameroon,
Canada,
Central
African
Republic,
Chad, Chile,
China,
Colombia,
Congo,
Croatia,
Democratic
Republic of
Congo, Egypt,
Ethiopia,
France,
Germany,
Guatemala,
India, Italy,
Japan, Kenya,
Libya,
Malaysia,
Morocco,
Nepal,
Netherlands,
Nigeria,
Norway,
Pakistan,
Republic of
Korea, Russian
Federation,
Rwanda, South
Africa,
Sweden,
Switzerland,
Trinidad and
Tobago,
Turkey,
Uganda, United
Kingdom,
United States,
African
Development
Bank, African
Union,
Communauté
Économique et
Monétaire de
l’Afrique
Centrale,
Economic
Commission for
Africa,
Economic
Community of
Central
African
States,
European
Union,
International
Monetary Fund,
Organisation
internationale
de la
francophonie,
Organization
of Islamic
Cooperation,
Special
Representative
of the
Secretary-General,
United Nations
Development
Programme,
World Bank.
During the
meeting, Inner
City Press is
exclusively
informed,
Tanzania's
Ambassador
asked the UN's
head of
Political
Affairs
Jeffrey
Feltman why
the UN and
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon had
been so slow
to condemn the
coup.
Inner City
Press put the
question to
Ban's deputy
spokesman
Farhan Haq at
the UN's
public noon
briefing on
May 15, to
give the UN a
change to
publicly
explain.
But as on a scandal
about Ban and
his nephew
being reported
on here by
Inner City
Press and
media in
Vietnam and
South Korea,
where Ban
Ki-moon is
headed, Haq
response was
essentially
that the UN is
good, that is
does not need
to explain (in
the case of
Ban's nephew)
or should be
presumed to be
always deeply
engaged and
deeply
concerned.
Some simply
don't believe
that.
While Haq at
the May 15
noon briefing
said that Ban,
who has yet to
speak with
Nkurunziza,
spoke with
Kenya's
President
Kenyatta,
Inner City
Press is
informed that
in the closed
Peacebuilding
Configuration
meeting it was
said that Ban
called
Rwanda's Paul
Kagame as
well. If so,
why didn't Haq
say that? (Click here
for another
exclusive
story about
Ban's office
not disclosing
Ban's call
with US John
Kerry about
Yemen).
Much of the
Peacebuilding
Configuration
meeting
involved
indirect
criticism of
the European
Union for
getting “too
involved” in
Burundi's
constitution,
followed by a
proposal that
the
Configuration
should issue a
statement on
Burundi.
The
US, Inner City
Press was
informed,
expressed
opposition or
skepticism of
the latter;
Inner City
Press reported
that a draft
would still be
circulated by
the
configuration
chair, Swiss
Ambassador
Paul Seger. It
was not
blocked.
France, Inner
City Press is
informed --
that Mission
responds to
but does not
answer its
questions
-- said that
the Security
Council spoke
and that those
(mere)
Elements to
the Press
remain as
valid today as
the day
before.
The EU for its
part said it
is in
discussions
with the
African Union
about a human
rights mission
to Burundi.
After the
meeting, some
expressed
doubt to Inner
City Press
this will ever
happen; at the
noon briefing
Inner City
Press asked
Haq if the UN
would
participate
and was told
that the UN
has other more
mediate focus
right now.
While Haq did
not deliver
the UN's best
defense, in
fairness Inner
City Press
will: it could
say it was
waiting for
the East
African
Community and
African Union
to speak
first, which
the US - which
quickly
condemned the
coup, even
after
criticism the
possible third
term - and EU
don't have to
consider, as
much.
(Click
here for
Tanzanian
President
Kikwete
telling Inner
City Press, a
week ago, to "be
patient" on
Burundi, with
video.)
Feltman was
asked if the
US has better
intelligence
than the UN
(he should
know, having
been with the
US State
Department).
Of course,
Feltman is
said to have
replied, the
US has
intelligence
that works and
the UN does
not.
Some in the
meeting,
including
Brazil, said
that
uncoordinated
statements can
enflame. In
this case,
Inner City
Press or the Free UN Coalition for Access would say
it is good to
have a
configuration,
so to speak,
other than the
Security
Council which
can speak.
Watch this
site.
Footnotes:
as Inner City
Press tweeted,
the US pulled
out
non-essential
personnel (Haq
wouldn't
confirm UN
actions), and
also
the Office of
the High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights said Pierre-Claver
Mbonimpa has
gone into
hiding, under
death threats.
(Sadly, seems
it's true; you
may read more
on this.)
As
Inner City
Press reported
yesterday,
along with the
response
it got on
Burundi from
the
International
Monetary Fund,
it has been
exclusively
informed of
some $9
million in UN
Peacekeeping
“Contingent
Owned
Equipment”
funds about
which doubts
are being
raised.
We'll have
more on this.
, 
