Facing
Congo
Election
Questions, UN
Uses Excuse of
the East,
Defers to
Kabila
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 28,
updated below
-- When the UN
spoke Monday
at noon about
the
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo
elections,
which have
seen
complaints
about lack of
ballots,
prohibitions
on campaigning
and a
call for the
UN to remove
its envoy
Roger Meece as
biased for the
incumbent
Joseph Kabila,
all Deputy
Spokesman
Eduardo del
Buey did
was read a
Ban Ki-moon
statement that
had been
circulated on
Friday.
Inner
City Press
asked del Buey
what the UN's
response was
to
after-arising
events,
for example to
the blockage
of opposition
candidate
Etienne
Tshisekedi at
Kinshasa's
airport during
a time he
should have
been
able to
campaign. Video
here from
Minute 27.
Del Buey read
again from Ban
Ki-moon's
pre-blockage
statement,
that security
is the primary
responsibility
of the
government:
that is,
incumbent
Kabila and his
allies.
There are
reports of
polling places
without ballot
in Beni, five
dead in
Lumumbashi, no
electrical
power in Bas
Congo,
gunfire...
The
other excuse
offered by del
Buey was that
the "bulk" of
the UN's
forces
in the Congo
are
concentrated
in the East.
First, there
are reports
of
irregularities
there, too,
including
involvement of
nationals of
Rwanda across
the border.
Second, UN
helicopters
have flown
over
Kinshasa while
campaigning
was blocked.
What is the
UN's role?
(c) UN Photo
Ban and Tshisekedi,
response to
call to remove
Meece not
shown
Earlier
on Monday,
Inner City
Press asked
this month's
president of
the UN
Security
Council,
Portuguese
Ambassador
Cabral, if
events of the
weekend in
the Congo
would be
discussed by
the Council.
"I
don't
know," Cabral
told Inner
City Press.
"Obviously
there's
concern about
the situation
there. The
situation is
not a quiet
one
to say the
least... We
had
consultations
last week on
it."
But
things have
changed in the
past week.
Both answers
seem to
reflect the
lack of
focus on the
UN on the
Congo
elections, the
lack of follow
through,
or perhaps a
deference to
Permanent Five
members of the
Security
Council's
views. But how
can these, or
the UN, in the
future
criticize
similar moves
in other
elections?
What level of
irregularities
does the UN
accept? Watch
this site.
Update
of
3:15 pm --
outside the UN
Security
Council for a
meeting about
Libya, Inner
City Press
asked US
Ambassador
Susan Rice
about the DRC
elections,
about
Tshisekedi
saying Meece
should leave.
"That
tells you more
about
Tshisekedi,"
she answers.
Still nothing
from the
Security
Council. Watch
this site.
, 
