At
UN,
France
"Doesn't Want
to Fund"
Somalia,
Defensive of
Twitter Feed
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 6,
updated w/ UK
-- As the UN
Security
Council met on
Somalia
behind closed
doors on
Monday, a
major issue
was funding
for the
AMISOM
mission.
Sources inside
the meeting
tell Inner
City Press
that France
expressed
opposition to
"funding all
this;" one
source called
this
hypocrisy,
given what
France says
publicly.
The
UK, the source
went on,
though facing
a similar
financial
situation, did
not speak
as much
against
funding all
this -- in
part, the
source
surmised,
because the UK
is hosting the
upcoming
London
Conference on
Somalia.
Update:
On this last,
UK Deputy
Permanent
Representative
Philip Parham
explained to
to the Press
that Council
members had
"perfectly
reasonable
questions for
Susana"
Malcorra --
the head of
the Department
of Field
Support widely
touted as the
next Deputy
Secretary
General.
Parham
said questions
concerned the
other tracks,
political and
the
development of
the TFG for
example. Yes,
there will be
an attempt in
the Council --
probably
successful,
from what
Inner City
Press can make
out -- for a
resolution
before the
London
Conference.
A
Somali
diplomat
came to the
Security
Council but
left, telling
Inner City
Press that
he couldn't
get into the
meeting, since
they were
"consultations."
There has been
controversy
about the
Twitter feed
which has been
established by
Al Shabab (not
unlike the
Taliban's
account).
One
might like to
know more
about France's
positions --
but as simply
one example,
the
French Mission
to the UN has
a practice of
"blocking"
even
from its
Twitter feed
of statements
journalists
which have
been
critical of,
or published
leaked
documents
exposing,
French
positions, in
Cote d'Ivoire
and elsewhere.
(c) UN Photo
Araud and
former spox,
initial Keeper
of the
Tweeter, point
fingers
Question: What
kind of
Mission to the
UN blocks
reporters from
its Twitter
feed? Answer:
the
French
Mission. Watch
this site.
, 
