As
Ivorian Day
Feted with
Drums at UN,
Battalion
& Ladsous
Go
Missing
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 7 --
When Cote
d'Ivoire
celebrated its
national day
beside
Manhattan's
East River on
Tuesday
evening, it
was joined by
UN
Security
Council
Permanent
Representatives
from France,
India, Togo
and the UK.
The first two,
at least, were
interviewed
for Ivorian
television,
amid
polyrhythmic
drums and
dancers, lamp
chops and Moet
champagne.
The
Permanent
Representative
of Georgia was
dancing,
followed later
and
more wanly by
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
chosen Special
Adviser
on Africa
Maged
Abdelaziz of
Egypt.
The
American chief
of the UN
Department of
Political
Affairs
Jeffrey
Feltman was
there, fresh
from his first
"horizon
briefing"
to the
Security
Council. But
French top UN
Peacekeeper
Herve Ladsous
was not seen,
nor his
deputy.
Less
than a month
ago Ladsous
proposed
cutting a full
battalion from
Cote
d'Ivoire,
sources told
Inner City
Press from
Abidjan. Then
a day ago,
seven Ivorian
soldiers were
killed in
Abidjan, as UN
peacekeepers
from Benin
stood by and
did nothing.
While
some blame
this on
rebels,
presumably
pro-Gbagbo,
taking
advantage of
the Security
Council
limiting the
mandate to the
protection of
civilians,
there is a
growing
history under
Ladsous of
peacekeeping
inaction.
Near
Duekoue they
did nothing as
civilians
presumed to
support Gbagbo
were
beaten and at
least six
killed. And
that's just in
Cote d'Ivoire
--
the record in
the Congo is
worse. So
where was or
is Ladsous? At
least French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud
was there, and
will Wednesday
meet with the
Red Cross.
Where was or
is Ladsous?
The questions
go
unanswered.
Watch this
site.
, 
