With
Jordan As UNSC
Prez, ICP Asks
Kawar of
Western
Sahara, UN
Killings in
Gao
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
2 -- When
Ambassador
Dina Kawar of
Jordan assumed
the presidency
of the
Security
Council and
held a press
conference
on April 2,
Inner City
Press asked
her about the
review of
Western Sahara
scheduled for
the month, and
about a report
to be
presented that
afternoon
behind closed
doors about UN
Peacekeepers
in Mali
killing three
civilians by
using
excessive
force. Video
here and
embedded
below.
Inner City
Press asked if
the Security
Council under
Ambassador
Kawar will see
that there is
accountability
for the UN
Peacekeepers
who killed the
three
civilians,
beyond simply
being
repatriated to
their home
country (which
UN deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq
would not even
identify.)
Ambassador
Kawar said
that “of
course it's
not
justifiable”
but added that
she had not
yet seen the
UN report into
the killings
in Gao.
Inner City
Press has
asked the
Council's
president in
March,
Francois
Delattre of
France, about
the Gao
report; his
spokesman said
its release
will be up to
the Secretary
General.
A
single
stakeout by UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous will
foreseeably
not be enough.
Ladsous has
refused to
answer Press
questions,
from rapes in
the DR Congo
to Darfur, video here,Vine
here.
Ambassador
Kawar said
that
peacekeeping
is one of the
topics in the
Security
Council's
retreat with
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon --
peacekeepers'
“work, their
relationship
with the host
country --
along with
“sanctions in
general.” One
wonders if the
Ramos Horta
report, and
Ladsous'
resistance to
accountability,
will or should
be among the
topics.
On Mali more
generally,
Ambassador
Kawar said “we
happy with the
talks with the
Algerians as
mediators,”
acknowledging
that not all
have agreed
(for example
the MNLA). She
went
philosophical,
that
intra-state
conflicts are
more
complicated
that those
between
states.
On Western
Sahara, as
Inner City
Press
reiterated the
question
including on
the inclusion
of human
rights
monitoring in
the mandate of
MINURSO,
Ambassador
Kawar said
that “the
mandate will
be extended”
but that she
couldn't say
more for now,
not yet having
seen the
report. We'll
have more on
this.
Inner City
Press began
its question
by thanking
Ambassador
Kawar for the
briefing on
behalf of the
new Free
UN Coalition
for Access,
expressing a
hope she will
hold question
and answer
stakeouts at
the UNTV
stakeout after
closed door
consultations.
We'll have
more on this
as well -- and
on Jordan main
thematic
debate for the
month, on
April 23, on
"the role of
youth in
countering
violent
extremism and
promoting
peace." There
will also be a
briefing by
Staffan de
Mistura on
April 24, and
an Arria
formula
meeting on
cultural
destruction on
April 27.
Watch this
site.
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