Inner City Press

Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the Inner City to Wall Street to the United Nations

These reports are usually available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis

Google
  Search innercitypress.com Search WWW (censored?)

In Other Media-eg Nigeria, Zim, Georgia, Nepal, Somalia, Azerbaijan, Gambia Click here to contact us     .

,



Home -

These reports are usually available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis

CONTRIBUTE

Subscribe to RSS feed

BloggingHeads.tv

March 1, 2011: Libya

Video (new)

Reuters AlertNet 8/17/07

Reuters AlertNet 7/14/07

Support this work by buying this book

Click on cover for secure site orders

also includes "Toxic Credit in the Global Inner City"
 

 

 


Community
Reinvestment

Bank Beat

Freedom of Information
 

How to Contact Us



Sudan Meeting of Security Council Postponed Amid Addis Ababa Confusion, S. Kordofan Pull Out UNcommented On

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 13 -- The UN Security Council postponed its June 10 meeting about Sudan and Abyei to the afternoon of June 13, in order to watch the weekend meetings in Addis Ababa between Khartoum's Omar al Bashir and Juba's Salva Kiir. But then the June 13 meeting was also postponed.

  US Ambassador Susan Rice tweeted, “UN Security Council watching closely ongoing negotiations on Sudan in Addis. We will meet when we can assess the outcome... SAF must immediately end fighting and abuses in Kadugli and withdraw unconditionally from Abyei.”

  Wire services were already reporting an agreement on Abyei, for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to withdraw and Ethiopian peacekeepers to go in. But sources in Addis were saying it wasn't really done, that conditions were being set.

  The stated purpose of the open Security Council meeting postponed from Monday was to have each Council member publicly make clear their position. But what about their positions on the UN's own performance?

  Inner City Press replied to @AmbassadorRice, “The only withdrawing seems to be by UN from Kadugli. What does the US Mission to the UN think of UNMIS performance there?” So far there's been no answer.


Susan Rice & French DPR in Rajaf, action on UN Kadugli pull out not shown

Here was the question as put to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky on Monday at noon:

Inner City Press: can you confirm that UN staff are being pulled out of South Kordofan? And do you have any response to the allegations by their top SPLM [Sudan People’s Liberation Movement] official in South Kordofan, Al-Hilu, and his spokesmen that Egyptian peacekeepers committed rape in South Sudan and that they turned over people to the Sudanese Armed Forces who were later killed?

Spokesperson Nesirky: Well, on that very last point, allegations that UNMIS has abandoned — there were reports that we’ve seen refer to one national staff member and allegations about the UN Mission in Sudan having abandoned a national staff member who was killed, are simply completely false and baseless. The Mission will continue to provide all the protection needed to all the staff, regardless of their ethnic, religious or political affiliations. And just to be clear, UNMIS is not evacuating its personnel from Kadugli. However, the Mission started relocating civilian staff as of today to Khartoum, including nationals, because they can’t operate in the current circumstances. And an UNMIS convoy under the escort of Egyptian peacekeepers was able to reach El-Obeid with its nonessential international staff. And also, I can tell you that the Mission has extracted the majority of its national staff from town, and they are now safe in the Mission compound receiving the necessary assistance.

Question: No, no, and thanks for that. I was saying, in this Sudan Tribune, certainly over the weekend, maybe even as much as 24 hours ago, there are these quotes by Al-Hilu, who is the one who ran against Ahmed Haroun --

Spokesperson: I heard what you said, and what I have responded is the answer that I have. Okay?

Question: But they seem to be alleging different things?

Spokesperson: Well, as I have said, we sought to have guidance from the UN Mission in Sudan, and they have given as very clear guidance on what is actually happening.

Question: And one more thing on Sudan, there is… the SPLM has said that the territory of South Sudan has been bombed from the air by Khartoum using Antonov aircraft; Jau in Unity State. Is that something that UNMIS has been able to verify or deny?

Spokesperson: Well, it wouldn’t be for us to deny, I think. But to try to verify is another matter. I don’t have anything on that at the moment, but we’re certainly aware of the reports. If my colleagues have anything further, I am sure that we would be able to provide that.

  More than four hours later, no information had been provided. Watch this site.

* * *

Amid Sudan Fighting, UN SC Cancels June 10 Meeting, Waiting on Bashir

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, June 10 -- Amid the attacks and killings in Abyei and now Southern Kordofan, the US Mission to the UN last week pushed for a Security Council Presidential Statement calling for Khartoum's forces to withdraw.

The US had wanted the PRST to explicit set a follow up Council meeting on Friday June 10, but this, like references to Khartoum's “occupation” of and “ethnic cleansing” in Abyei was omitted. Instead it called for a monitoring meeting in the coming days. Even Khartoum's defenders, though, said that this meant June 10.

But now the June 10 follow up is canceled. Sources tell Inner City Press that based on a letter from Sudan, and an impending meeting between Thabo Mbeki, Salva Kiir and Omar al Bashir, under International Criminal Court indictment, the Council has canceled Friday's meeting.

This will be bad news for demonstrators who circulated a call for a protest at the UN on Friday morning, trying to get the killings in Southern Kordofan added to the Sudan issues set to be discussed on Friday. Now, Sudan will not be discussed by the Council on Friday. What will happen over the weekend? Watch this site.

Click for Mar 1, '11 BloggingHeads.tv re Libya, Sri Lanka, UN Corruption

Click here for Inner City Press' March 27 UN debate

Click here for Inner City Press March 12 UN (and AIG bailout) debate

Click here for Inner City Press' Feb 26 UN debate

Click here for Feb. 12 debate on Sri Lanka http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/17772?in=11:33&out=32:56

Click here for Inner City Press' Jan. 16, 2009 debate about Gaza

Click here for Inner City Press' review-of-2008 UN Top Ten debate

Click here for Inner City Press' December 24 debate on UN budget, Niger

Click here from Inner City Press' December 12 debate on UN double standards

Click here for Inner City Press' November 25 debate on Somalia, politics

and this October 17 debate, on Security Council and Obama and the UN.

* * *

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

UN Office: S-453A, UN, NY 10017 USA Tel: 212-963-1439

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540

Google
  Search innercitypress.com  Search WWW (censored?)

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

            Copyright 2006-08 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com -