After
UNIFIL
Peacekeeper
Killed, Spain
Says Working
On UNSC
Statement
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 28 --
When a UN
Peacekeeper from Spain
was killed in
Lebanon, the
spokesperson
for the UN's
UNIFIL meeting
stopped
responding to
media
questions. The
report was
that Israeli
Defense Forces
killed the
peacekeeper.
This raised
the stakes
for, and some
questions
about, the
United
Nations.
Recently when
UN
peacekeepers
in northern
Mali were
fired at --
none killed in
the incident
-- UN
Peacekeeping
responded with
air strikes
from attack
helicopters,
killing
five. Is
this only how
UN
Peacekeeping
respond to its
personnel
being fired at
in Africa, or
only in Mali?
Inner City
Press asked
the Spanish
Mission to the
UN if there is
any UN
Security
Council
statement
being worked
on. They responded,
it is being
worked on
right now.
How
will it
address who is
responsible
for the
killing?
Killing a UN
peacekeeper,
the Security
Council has
often said,
can be a war
crime.
Footnote:
While awaiting
response to
written
questions
Inner City
Press put to
the UNIFIL's
top four
spokespeople,
for now they
still compare
favorably to
the UN's
mission in
Haiti,
MINUSTAH,
whose
spokeswoman
Sophie Boutaud
de la Combe
has put many
UN
Headquarters-based
media on the
mission's
press e-mail
list, but has
refused
as to Inner
City Press,
which closely
covers
not only
cholera in
Haiti but also
the UN
peacekeepers
there, as in
Mali, firing
at protesters.
The Mali
mission at
least sends
out
statements;
from MINUSTAH
we have only
silence. This
is the
Ladsousification
of the UN -- see
most recent
footage of
Ladsous,
refusing Press
questions
about the DR
Congo, here.
We'll have
more on all of
this.
, 
