For
Congo,
A Single South African Copter, Meece Concedes, DRC Says UN Can Stay
Because It Needs the
Money
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
June 10 -- The UN's envoy in the
Congo, Roger Meece, told
the Press on Friday that any time he can ask a member state for
helicopters for his Mission MONUSCO, he does. But facing the
impending loss of the third of three tranches of helicopters, only
one aircraft has been secured, from South Africa.
Others
talk about
offers from Ukraine and even Sri Lanka, which used its craft in the
killing of civilians detailed in the UN Panel of Experts' recent
report, on which Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has declined to act.
Inner City Press asked Meece on June 10 about these offers. Meece
said he wouldn't discuss particular states' offers.
Nor,
asked for the
second
time in two days if he will deploy UN peacekeepers to Lord's
Restance Army impacted areas like Bas Uele, did Meece make any
commitment. He did say that Joseph Kony “to speak frankly should be
neutralized one way or another.”
Inner
City Press
asked him about a critique of his work, that he seeks to ingratiate
himself to Joseph Kabila. Meece took issue with the word, and spoke
of MONUSCO's integrated human rights reporting function.
The
International Peace Institute spokesman said the critique was mostly
of Meece's predecessor Alan Doss, who left amid a nepotism scandal in
which he urged the UN Development Program to show him “lee way”
and give a job to his daughter.
Roger Meece previously at stakeout, action on
Walikale not shown
Later
on Friday,
Inner City Press asked DRC Permanent Representative Atoki Ileki about
the same critique. He called it strange, saying “when the war is
over you have to change your approach.” He said DRC does not mind
the UN stay: “we need the money.”
And
so the UN uses
the Congo, and the Congolse government uses the UN. But are civilians
served? Watch this site.
* * *
With
Northern
Congo Civilians Unprotected from Lord's Resistance Army, UN envoy Meece
Does Manhattan
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
June 9 -- Amid criticism that the UN Mission in the Congo
MONUSCO under Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's envoy Roger Meece is
downplaying human rights violations in order to remain close to
Joseph Kabila, Meece briefed the Security Council on June 9.
Ban's
report to
the Council mentions some 100 human rights violation through May of
this year in the run up to November's elections. But the UN has not
provided details on these violations.
It
had been
announced that Meece would take questions from the press after the
meeting. But after chatting with his staff and US Ambassador David
Dunn, Meece headed up to the stairs to leave the building.
Inner
City Press
pursued him, after first his staff then Meece himself, what about the
stakeout?
“Who else is
there?” Meece asked, before relenting and coming back. He
delivered a summary then asked for questions.
Inner
City Press
asked about the 100 human rights violations, and why the details are
not public or publicized by MONUSCO. Meece responded in terms of the
National Elections Commission, and said that things are better now
than for the 2005-06 election in that three armies have made peace.
The
Lord's
Resistance Army, of course, is not one of these three ostensibly
peaceful or integrated armies. Inner City Press asked if Meece will,
as NGOs have urged, be sending peacekeepers to Bas Uele in North
Congo, where the LRA is killing and kidnapping civilians.
Meece
answered as
the UN so often does, that it is a vast area, hard to defend. He
added that there had been a meeting in Addis Ababa last week about
the LRA. But if the mandate of MONUSCO is to protect civilians, to
many MONUSCO's presence in Bas Uele is insufficient.
Meece & UN symbol, peacekeepers in Bas Uele not seen
There
is also,
unmentioned by Meece at his begrudging stakeout, the problem of a
lack of helicopters. India previously provided them for a price to
MONUSCO, then said they needed them back. Some blamed India; others
called for other donors, perhaps South Africa. What about the
Ukrainian attack helicopters which the UN pushed to transfer from
Liberia to Cote d'Ivoire? Is the Congo less important?
Inner
City Press
concluded by asking Meece how long he had been in New York this time.
Meece acknowledged he was in New York around May 17, for a meeting
sponsored by the French Mission to the UN during their Council
presidency, then again this trip, starting last week. There is
grumbling among UN staff who care about the Congo. Meece took the
three questions and left.
There
are of
course other questions, such as the follow
through on those
responsible for rapes in Walikali, a scandal with which Meece's
tenure at MONUSCO began, amid disputes about what he knew and when he
knew it.
The
UN should be
trying to publicize the situation in the Congo, where so many have
died. But some atop the UN, it seems, are tempted to dodge the press
and even, some say, their duty stations. Reforms at the UN? It would
have to start with accountability.
Meece will be
appearing again in New York on June 10 and may further address these
issues. Watch this site.
* * *
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