Inner City Press: Investigative Reporting from the United Nations

As Diplomats View German Expressionism, Etching of War Chide UN Council

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 11 -- German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle has arrived in New York and Tuesday will chair the UN Security Council for a session on children and armed conflict.

The night before he hosted most Council ambassadors and a range of UN personalities at the Museum of Modern Art, where a show on German Expressionism features grisly pictures of the First World War and after.

Britain's Permanent Representative Mark Lyall Grant chatted downstairs with Afghan Ambassador Tanin. Up on sixth floor, Westerwelle worked the crowd.

Rwanda's Permanent Representative spoke with him in perfect German; his wife explained to Inner City Press that the Kinyarwanda language has many German words, since before Belgium it was a German colony.

Westerwelle said that Germany can now be an honest broker and “teacher” in Africa -- where Angela Merkel is headed, starting with Angola -- since it does not have the same history as others on the Continent.

France's Gerard Araud was in attendance, as was his Moroccan counterpart. South Africa's able charge d'affaires noted that depending on which countries get elected, his will preside over the Council in either January or February. But due to the alphabet, they will get only one Presidency in their two years. And they hope the institution is reformed before they get elected again.

Germany, which also wants a permanent seat, has highlighted children and armed conflict in its month. Late last Friday, India and Colombia were still critiquing the draft resolution.

Monday India's Permanent Representative Hardeep Singh Puri told Inner City Press his country opposes “mandate creep” on children and armed conflict, just as it opposes “mission creep” in Libya.

India, which will follow Germany as Council President in August, has proved outspoken on the Council, for example joining Russia and South Africa in questioning France parachuting arms into Libya. Others vying for permanent seats are playing it more cautious. Whether it will make a difference remains to be seen.

Westervelle, before

In attendance Monday night was the UN's expert on the Responsibility to Protect, Edward Luck. Inner City Press asked him about Tuesday's GA session: is it an attack on the mandate? No, he said, he thinks it will be productive. Will Libya be discussed? One assumes so.

The show of Expressionists featured 50 works by Otto Dix, depicting death and destruction in World War I in which he served as a gunner. To see Security Council ambassadors glancing at such works, as they vote on Libya, was more than a little ironic.

There were also pictures by George Grosz, of prostitution and corruption, and Kathe Kollwitz on widows left by war. The show is recommended -- at MOMA as well as at the UN and its Security Council.

Westerwelle will take questions from the press on Tuesday morning at the stakeout, and meet Ban Ki-moon in the afternoon. Watch this site.

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At UN, Children & Armed Conflict “Mechanism” Questioned by Colombia

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 8 -- In the run up to a July 12 Security Council meeting on children and armed conflict, Permanent Representatives were called to an “emergency” meeting Friday at 5 pm.

Sources told Inner City Press that for example Colombia is concerned that, because of child recruitment in its borders, it could be subject to “mechanisms,” even though it is not on the Security Council agenda.

Inner City Press asked Colombia's Permanent Representative Nestor Osorio, as he went into the Council, if his country was “concerned about being on the list.”

“No one wants to be on any list,” he genially quipped. Other sources say that Brazil is supporting Colombia's position and that India, too, has its own concerns.

Another Permanent Representative said there could be a solution for Colombia, some generally language about "dealing with Ms. Coomaraswamy," the adviser on children and armed conflict.

Colombia has previously tangled with Coomaraswamy, click here for that story from Inner City Press.

Meanwhile countries not involved in the fracas wondered why they had to come in “at such a high level, and through the rain” when the Council debate is not until Tuesday. We'll see.

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On Sudan, Could an UNMIS “Wrap-Up” Resolution Provide S. Kordofan Protection?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 8 -- As the UN Security Council adopted its resolution for 7000 peacekeeping troops in South Sudan, behind the scenes negotiations continued to see if a separate resolution on the dissolving UN Mission in Sudan was needed, and what it could accomplish.

Sudan's president Omar al Bashir, indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide in Darfur, has ordered the UN mission in North Sudan to start winding down the moment South Sudan declares independence.

But the political coordinator of a BRICS country told Inner City Press that it is possible that a “wind-up” resolution could provide for UN peacekeepers staying in the violent border areas of South Kordofan and Blue Nile at least while the mission is being wound up.

“That would require the consent of Bashir,” a representative of a Permanent member of the Council pointed out, adding that the UN Department of Field Support and Office of Legal Affairs, headed by Patricia O'Brien, had been asked to opine if a wind up resolution is needed.

The spokesman of another Permanent member said that negotiations were continuing, even on the eve of South Sudan's independence, with Ban Ki-moon in Khartoum, meeting with not with Bashir but foreign minister Ali Karti.

“It would be a good message to have such a resolution,” the representative said, indicating the UN was not just getting thrown out. But isn't it?

Kiir & Bashir in Juba, new UN resolution & mission not yet seen

At Friday's UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban's acting deputy spokesman Farhan Haq about reports that the Egyptian UN peacekeepers in Kadugli in Southern Kordofan sat by while civilians were killed right outside their gates, and that two Nuba UN local staff were killed.

Haq denied the later, and pointed to earlier statements on the former. Inner City Press is still waiting for a response from UNMIS promised earlier in the week. Better hurry up: for now, UNMIS is over on July 9. Watch this site -- and this, Inner City Press July 7 debate on BloggingHeads.tv about Sudan.

Click for July 7, 11 BloggingHeads.tv re Sudan, Libya, Syria, flotilla

Click for Mar 1, '11 BloggingHeads.tv re Libya, Sri Lanka, UN Corruption

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

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

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