On
Libya,
Chad Wants Fast Finish, Sudan Said To Support, UN Silent, West
Spins
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, March 24 -- What do Libya's neighbors think of the military
action there? While at the UN Western diplomats whisper anonymously
about permission to use Sudan's airspace to conduct air raids against
Gaddafi, Inner City Press on Thursday asked Chad's Permanent
Representative to the UN Ahmad Allam-mi about his country's position.
“Gaddafi has no
friends,” Ambassador Allam-mi replied. “Chad is afraid for its
border. We've had the Central African Republic, we've had Sudan.”
He paused and told Inner City Press, “This has to finish fast.”
Earlier
in the
week, after the Security Council's March 21 closed door meeting on
Sudan, Inner City Press at the televised stakeout asked Sudan's
Ambassador Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman for the Omar al Bashir
government's position on the no fly zone and action on Libya. Video
here, from Minute 9:39.
Daffa-Alla
Elhag
Ali Osman said of Sudan, we are members of the Arab League and fully
comply.
Inner
City Press
asked, but isn't Sudan also a member of the African Union, which has
expressed doubts about the air strikes?
“Whatever is
agreed to in each of that, we are committed to that,” Daffa-Alla
Elhag Ali Osman said and then walked away from the UN microphone.
The
next day, a
Western Permanent Representative told other media that Sudan had
granted permission to use its air space to enforce the no fly zone
over Libya. While Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman declined to several
media to confirm this, the whisper campaign was said to be “confirmed”
and reported.
Inner
City Press
asked on March 24 asked a senior diplomat of a non-Western Permanent
member of the Council about the statements about Sudan. “Why would
they be leaking that?” was the diplomat's response. Why indeed.
Bashir flies to Juba, overflights of Sudan for Libya
NFZ not shown
Footnote:
At
the March 21 stakeout, Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman told Inner City
Press that the UN's Atul Khare in the Security Council's closed
meeting had blamed recent deaths on the SPLA and South Sudan (as well
as denying any shuttering of El Fahser University or crackdown in
Darfur).
At
the March 23 UN
noon briefing, Inner City Press
asked UN spokesman Martin Nesirky:
Inner
City
Press: I wanted to ask about Sudan. The SPLA [Sudanese People’s
Liberation Army] has said that the northern — the Government of
Northern, or of Sudan – has bombed western Bahr El-Ghazal State
from the air. I wanted to know whether that’s given — whether
UNMIS [United Nations Mission in Sudan] is out there and looking —
whether they can confirm that? And also, I know that there was a
meeting on Monday of the Council where Atul Khare briefed. There was
no readout by the Council after it. The two — South Sudan and
Sudan — both had totally different public statements about what the
meeting was. The Government of Khartoum said that Atul Khare backed
them up totally, said that the violence is totally attributable to
South Sudan in-fighting. So I wanted to know, again, does UNMIS
believe that Khartoum is supporting, materially or otherwise, Athor
and Lam Akol, the two renegade Generals within South Sudan’s
fighting?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
I’ll check with my colleagues from the Department of
Peacekeeping Operations whether there are any further details that we
can make available from that briefing that you referred to. As to
the reports in which South Sudan says that the North has bombed its
territory, the UN mission in Sudan has received reports of aerial
bombings by the Sudanese Armed Forces on 21 and 22 March — in other
words yesterday and the day before yesterday — in Firka and Timsaha
in Northern Bahr El-Ghazal State. And I can tell you that the
Mission is investigating these reports. That’s what I can tell
you. Alright, thank you very much. Have a good afternoon.
[The
Spokesperson
later said that the meeting of the Security Council on
Monday was not an on-the-record session. He added that, in line with
standard procedure, the decision to release details of the discussion
lies with the Security Council Presidency.]
So
the UN leaves
unchallenged the statements on Sudan. Inner City Press is told that,
while not of consultations, the UN does keep written records of
“closed” Council sessions. Watch this site.
* * *
At
UN
on Libya, France Dodges on Arming Rebels, Tales of Susan Rice in Her
Absence, Bland Ban Ki-moon
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 24 -- After the UN
Security Council's two hour meeting
about its Resolution 1973 on Libya, among Council members only
France's Gerard Araud came out to speak to the press. France alone
has recognized the rebels based in Benghazi as Libya's government.
Inner
City Press
asked Araud if France believes it is legal under Resolutions 1973 and
1970 to provide weapons to the Benghazi based forces. Araud replied,
“We implement the resolution to the letter.”
Of
course that
doesn't answer the question. Is France arming the rebels? Does it
believe that it would be legal? If so, just say it.
Informed
Council
sources on Thursday described to Inner City Press what Susan Rice of
the US said in the run up to adoption, with five abstentions, of
Resolution 1973.
Rice said the
US needed the “notwithstanding”
exemption to the arms embargo if it needed to go into Libya with
weapons if, for example, an American pilot were shot down.
But,
the Council
member told Inner City Press, it was not argued that the language
permitted the arming of the rebels. Now France won't answer the
question, and Rice is not at the UN.
Araud & Ban: 1 takes Qs & dodges, the other doesn't take them
Several
journalists
and other observers at the Council on Thursday wondered where Susan
Rice was for this important meeting. An Obama administration critic
told reporters Rice is “on vacation.”
Inner
City Press
notes, as for example Andrea Mitchell publicly has, a recent death in
Rice's family. But other journalists pointed to a “blizzard” of
press statements e-mailed out ostensibly from Rice about human rights
in Iran, accompanied by Tweets. Inner City Press replied via Twitter
asking for an explanation. If and when one is received, it will be
reported -- and re-Tweeted.
Footnote:
Ban
Ki-moon spoke only briefly in the Council chamber, and held a
highly controlled stakeout afterwards. No question were taken or
allowed on whether and why Ban recognized Gaddafi as head of state
while granting UN passes to Dabbashi and Shalgam, nor about his envoy
Al Khatib being a current Jordanian senator, in presumptive violation
of UN Charter and rules. Even so controlled, Ban said very little.
There is grumbling. Watch this site.
, 
