|
At UN, As Sudan Heads G-77, Ban
Offers Praise Despite War Crimes
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED
NATIONS, January 23 -- The
surreal nature of the UN was on display on Friday, culminating in a
party for
Sudan, replete with melting ice sculptures of fish and the Sudanese
flag, on
the occasion of the take-over of the Group of 77 and China by a nation
whose
president the International Criminal Court prosecutor wants locked up
for
crimes against humanity.
All day, the UN dodged the irony. At 11 a.m., Ban
Ki-moon through his Deputy Asha Rose Migiro congratulated Sudan. At
noon, Inner
City Press asked Ban's spokesperson Michele Montas if, on the day
she had read
out the condemnation of Sudan for war crimes, Ban had any comments for
Sudan or
for the "incongruity" of the two announcements --
Inner
City Press: in your opening, you read two items that seemed to be sort
of
related, but you didn’t relate them.
One, Mr. Ban Ki-moon had congratulated Sudan on
becoming the head of the
G-77 and you also read out this report by UNAMID, among others, that
Sudan had
violated international law in the Kalma camp.
Has Ban Ki-moon said anything to Sudan on that? Do you see these as in any way related? Do you have any comment on these two
seemingly incongruous facts?
Spokesperson
Montas: They are not incongruous
facts. Both are true and both are
directed towards different aspects of the issue.
Inner
City Press: So his congratulation
remains the same, even given today’s findings?
Spokesperson
Montas: Yes. [Video
here.]
UN's Ban with Sudan's al Bashir, indictment
and heading of G-77 not shown
Now to be fair, in the UN system
nominations like Sudan's are made by regional groups, and others just
vote them
along. But some wonder if the head of an organization ostensibly
committed to
human rights should congratulate, without further elaboration, Sudan,
and then decline any further comment.
Inner City Press asked a senior UN official, the
head of Peacekeeping,
if he thought Sudan's new position atop the G-77 might give it more
leverage in
negotiations with the UN. While he demurred, he did not disagree with
Inner
City Press' analysis that not only does the G-77 chair legitimate
Sudan, it
also gives it power over the UN budget process. Ban Ki-mute
might -- might! --
call or want to call President Al-Bashir to demand cooperation with
UNAMID, the
UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur. And now Sudan could say, do you want
your
human resources, ERP or other proposals to pass the General Assembly's
budget
commitment, where the G-77 has much power?
Footnote:
Sudan's party Friday
night in the Delegates' Dining Room was the most expensive spread that
the UN's
contractor Aramark provides. It included lobster, shrimp on ice,
chocolate-covered strawberries, and the above-noted ice sculptures.
Attendees included
interim U.S. Permanent Representative Alejandro Wolff. It's said his
incoming
boss, Susan Rice, will present her credentials to Ban Ki-moon on
Monday,
January 26 at 10:30 a.m., and has already requested a meeting with her
Sudanese
counterpart. We'll see.
Click here for Inner City Press' Jan.
16, 2009 debate about Gaza
Click here for Inner City Press'
review-of-2008 UN Top Ten debate
Click here for Inner
City Press' December 24 debate on UN budget, Niger
Click here from Inner City Press'
December 12 debate on UN double standards
Click here for Inner
City Press' November 25 debate on Somalia, politics
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 -
|
