As
Germany
Ushers Child
Soldiers
Expert to UN
Council, Those
Impacted
to Speak?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 2, updated
-- A dispute
arose late on
December 1
about the
adviser
on Children
and Armed
Conflict
Radhika
Coomaraswamy
coming to
brief the
Security
Council.
Germany
proposed
that she come,
sources say,
but in
opposition it
was argued
among
other things
that all UN
member states
be allowed to
speak,
including
those who are
opposed to
being on her
child soldier
recruitment
list,
or
being included
in the text of
her report
such as
Thailand.
Coomaraswamy
is
mandated to
discuss with
the Council
the so-called
"modalities
of inclusion,"
as provided
for in Resolution
1998:
20.
Invites
the Special
Representative
for Children
and Armed
Conflict to
brief the
Security
Council on the
modalities of
the inclusion
of
parties into
the annexes of
the periodic
report of the
Secretary-General
on children
and armed
conflict,
enabling an
exchange of
views;
Germany,
the sources
say, wanted
her to comply
with
this by coming
and saying
what she is
doing.
Others
want more
time to
prepare -- "to
grill her," as
one member put
it to
Inner City
Press -- and
want countries
which are not
on the
Security
Council, but
are on
Coomaraswamy's
list, to be
able to speak.
(c) UN Photo
Coomaraswamy
in
Afghanistan,
Thailand &
others not
shown
Some
of the
countries
which raised
questions in
closed door
consultations
about
Coomaraswamy's
briefing then
publicly
downplayed the
rifts, saying
it
was only a
matter of
"scheduling."
But
it goes beyond
that, into who
should have
the upper hand
in the
briefing,
Coomaraswamy
or the
countries who
are not
comfortable
being on her
list.
This
mirrors a
recent fight
in the Third
Committee of
the General
Assembly on a
Thai
sponsored
resolution on
the Protection
of Children. Click here
for
Inner City
Press' story
on that.
Coomaraswamy
told Inner
City Press
Thailand's
first draft
was
"alarming,"
but ultimately
it
did not impact
her mandate.
But the
questioning
continues.
Watch this
site.
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