|
Stealth Chinese Resource Deals
Link UN's Obasanjo to Congo and Kabila, Conflict of Interest Alleged
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
November 24 -- The UN's envoy to
the Congo, former Nigerian president Olesegun Obasanjo, appears to have
a
conflict of interest. One of rebel general Laurent Nkunda's main
critiques of
the Congolese government of Joseph Kabila is the $9 billion resource
deal
Kabila signed recently with China. On Monday at the UN, Inner City
Press asked
Mr. Obasanjo about Nkunda's claim.
Obasanjo said that when Nkunda spoke of
economics, the Chinese contract was one of the particular issues he
raised. Obasanjo
added that "I raised it to Joseph Kabila, who said 'all that passed
through the National Assembly.'" Video here,
from Minute 18:15.
But, Inner
City Press asked "with all due respect," isn't that controversy
similar to the one embroiling Obasanjo in Nigeria, about his $8 billion
railroad contract with China? Couldn't that be a conflict of interest? Obasanjo said no, it has no bearing,
"the railroad was fully disclosed and approved." He said that the
"present administration is not saying it is not going with the
railroad," only that it is looking for additional funds.
Nigerian
sources tell Inner City Press that this is not the case, the allegation
in
Lagos is that, like Kabila, Obasanjo did not tell his legislature about
his
Chinese deal.
UN envoy Obasanjo in the Congo, Chinese
resource deals not shown
Directly contrary
to Obasanjo's statement Monday at the UN, a
recent Nigerian headline has it that the Federal
Government "may revoke
$8bn rail contract." The article states that
"The Chief Economic Adviser
to President Umaru Yar’Adua, Mr. Tanimu Yakubu, who gave the hint
during the
Abuja Business and Investment Roundtable on Thursday, described the
contract as
illegal. Yakubu claimed that since Obasanjo did not present the project
and its
budget to the National Assembly, the current administration would not
condone
it because of its stand on rule of law. 'For an administration that
prides
itself in the rule of law, I don’t see how an illegality will be
strictly
adhered to in the name of continuity,' he said. The $8bn contract was
awarded
to Chinese Civil Engineering and Construction Company in 2006 as a
turnkey
package entailing the design, construction and maintenance of about
1,315
kilometres of standard gauge double track railway line from Lagos to
Kano."
The
similarity to the critique, including by Nkunda, of Kabila's Congo
contract is
striking. How can Obasanjo, given the allegations against him, be seen
as
non-conflicted on the similar issue in Congo? Why didn't the Ban
Ki-moon
administration vet this obvious potential conflict before deploying
Obansanjo
to the Congo?
Separately,
Inner City Press on Monday asked Ban's spokesperson Michele Montas
about
reports that UN Peacekeepers in Goma allowed Kabila's army to seize
rebels from
UN custody. Ms. Montas replied that one
peacekeeper was injured, but that it was "settled without further
injury
or complication," that the rebels continued with the convoy. Video here,
from Minute 13:47. But the UN's
own Congo spokesman Lt.-Col. Jean-Paul Dietrich
has been quoted that
"there were 10 surrendered
rebels among the 23 and that they were to have been turned over to the
military
Monday. 'But because of this incident, it was agreed on the spot to
hand them
over.' On Monday, Dietrich said he did not know where those detained
had been
taken."
This is at odd with that
the UN in New York
said on Monday, that the rebels were not handed over, but rather
continued on
with the UN peacekeepers. Which is it?
Click here for Inner City
Press Nov. 7 debate on the war in Congo
Watch this site, and this Oct. 2 debate, on
UN, bailout, MDGs
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
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 -
|
