At
UN,
French Domination of Peacekeeping Slates Eric Chevalier to
Replace Le Roy for Ban Ki-moon's 2d Term
By
Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
June 9 -- France appears to believe, and UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon is poised to confirm, that the UN Department of
Peacekeeping Operation can only be run by a Frenchman, even if
unqualified.
Well placed sources tell Inner City Press that the top
DPKO post will be transferred by Ban from Alain Le Roy to another
Frenchman, Eric Chevalier.
There
is a history
here. To get a second term as Secretary General, Kofi Annan promised
France it could have the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
Jean-Marie Guehenno was installed, and he is still on the UN payroll.
He was
replaced by the genial Alain Le Roy, who oversaw the use of
the UN alongside the French Force Licorne to shoot at the compound of
anti-French Cote d'Ivoire leader
Laurent Gbagbo, driving him from power.
For
months sources
in DPKO and elsewhere in the UN have told Inner City Press -- as well
as some other long serving UN officials in other department, about
whom we'll write soon -- that Le Roy is on his way out, to be
replaced by whomever France puts forward.
Now
well placed
sources provide the name of the replacement: Eric Chevalier. They
call him unqualified, having served as a spokesman for France's Quai
d'Orsai, and as a special adviser to Bernard Kouchner.
Ironically,
Nicholas Sarkozy drove Kouchner out as foreign minister, but is
prepared to use what's called by analogy his “droit de seigneur” to
name
Koucher adviser Chevalier as France's dedicated UN Under Secretary
General.
Chevalier
defended
Kouchner trips to Lebanon; he defended
the acts of French
NGOs in Chad, allegedly kidnapping children. He is a partisan, but
DPKO insiders complain, without the requisite military experience.
Quai d'Orsay bureaucrat, Chevalier, Le Pen is
mightier than the sword
What
is the
qualification, one of them asked Inner City Press, military
experience or just being French and willing to use of for France's
ends?
At
latest, Le
Roy's contract runs through early 2012. But the name is already
circulated, and French foreign minister Alain Juppe offered fulsome
praise to Ban Ki-moon for a second term.
History
repeats itself. But
Eric Chevalier is no Jean-Marie Guehenno, nor is he Alain Le Roy, who
has always been open to the press. The UN is going backward at France's
demand, unless someone stops it.
Watch this site.
* * *
At
UN,
Ban
on Mobility Means Post for Khare, Musical Chairs, Orr for
Nambiar?
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee, Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
May
25 -- Earlier in his five year term as UN Secretary
General, Ban Ki-moon announced a policy of mobility under which no
official should serve in the same position for more than five years.
On
May 25, Inner
City Press asked Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky for an update on the
policy, specifically with regard to Ban's chief of staff Vijay
Nambiar, political chief Lynn Pascoe, top peacekeeper Alain Le Roy,
and his (and Kofi Annan's) adviser Robert Orr.
Nesirky
answered
that the policy is being considered by the General Assembly. While
this may be true of wider human resources policy, Ban's
implementation of his own stated ideals in his own cabinet does not
require outside approval.
While
Inner City
Press is informed of impending changes with regard to the above-named
officials, what is most striking is what sources say about Bob Orr
trying to replace Nambiar as Ban's chief of staff, despite his
already long service in the Executive Office of the Secretary
General.
As noted, Nambiar
has refused to take any questions from
the press, despite a formal request from the UN correspondents'
association.
There's
said by UN sources to be
another Frenchman in line to eventually replace Le Roy, and another
American for
Pascoe -- unless the UK gets its wish to “get DPA back” and
thereby releases Valerie Amos from the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs.
Meanwhile,
the
spirit of mobility is being violated, in the name of “Change
Management.” With Edmond Mulet returning from Haiti to reclaim
“his” post as Deputy chief of DPKO, the current holder of this
post Atul Khare must leave.
But
Khare is not of
retirement age, and his native India wants to keep a high post,
particularly if Nambiar's to leave.
So
what does Ban
do? Inner City Press twice asked Ban's spokesman Nesirky without
getting an answer. Now multiple sources tell Inner City Press that
Ban's solution is to create a new post for Khare, called Assistant
Secretary General for Change Management, which will report to Deputy
S-G Migiro. As one source said, “this is how you make sure nothing
changes.”
Ban and Khare, Nambiar and "Change Management" not shown
From
the
UN's
noon
briefing transcript of May 23:
Inner
City
Press:
Just factually, I wanted to know, I think Mr. [Edmond]
Mulet is coming back from Haiti, from his time in Haiti at the end of
this month. And some had said he is going to become the Deputy in
DPKO [Department of Peacekeeping Operations]. Is that true, and what
happens to Mr. [Atul] Khare, does he remain with DPKO or does he--
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky:
Yeah, you asked that question by e-mail on Friday,
and when we have an answer we’ll let you know, okay?
Watch
this site.
