On
Libya, Failed
Mediator Al
Khatib Moves
On From UN,
But
Resignation
Denied
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 21
-- After the
UN's failed
mediation
attempt in
Libya, its
part time
mediator
Abdel-Elah
Al-Khatib
submitted a
letter of
resignation,
sources told
Inner City
Press last
week, angry at
how
"the Brit" Ian
Martin took
over the whole
Libya file for
the UN.
Inner
City
Press asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
Spokesperson's
Office to
simply confirm
or deny the
receipt of
Khatib's
resignation
letter, but no
answer was
given. Then
the UN
canceled its
normal
noon briefing
on September
21, telling
Inner City
Press to
submit
questions by
e-mail.
Of
four questions
posed, by
close of
business two
remained
unanswered
and even
unacknowledged.
But on Khatib
came this:
Regarding
Mr.
Al Khatib, we
have the
following
points:
The
conflict in
Libya and the
United
Nations'
efforts to
support Libya
have entered a
new phase with
the
establishment
of a UN
mission and
the expected
appointment
soon of a
Special
Representative
to head
that mission.
In
this context,
Mr. Al-Khatib
has completed
his assignment
and the
Secretary-General
and the
Security
Council have
expressed
their
appreciation
for his
valuable
contributions
during the
earlier stage
of the crisis
to pursue a
peaceful
political
solution to
the
conflict.
It
is not
accurate,
therefore, to
speak of a
"resignation".
Mr. Al-Khatib
has expressed
his
appreciation
for having had
the
opportunity to
serve the
Secretary-General
in such an
important
function and
the
Secretary-General
has thanked
him for his
efforts.
Clearly we are
in a different
phase now and
there is a
normal
transition in
how the UN
engages on
Libya.
Long
story short:
Khatib's
unsuccessful
time with the
UN is over,
now begins Ian
Martin's time.
(Ex)
"Mediator"
Khatib, Ban
& Martin
on Aug 26, candor
not shown
We'll
have more on
this tomorrow
- watch this
site.
* * *
Libya
Mission
of UN Headed
by Brit &
Finn, German
Coming 3d,
Juppe Says
NATO Will Keep
Bombing
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 19
-- Two weeks
after Inner
City Press
wrote that
Finn Georg
Charpentier
would be named
deputy chief
to Brit Ian
Martin in
heading up the
UN's mission
in Libya, on
Monday
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
confirmed both
postings, then
refused to
answer
criticism
about them.
Video here,
from Minute
25:38.
Inner
City Press
asked for confirmation
of its next
scoop, that
the Number
Three official
in the UNSMIL
mission will
be the German
Hansjoerg
Strohmeyer,
chief of the
Policy
Development
and Studies
branch with
the UN Office
for the
Coordination
of Political
Affairs."
Nesirky
said, "I've
read out two,
it's not
enough for
you, you want
the third."
But Inner City
Press reported
on Charpentier
getting the
deputy post,
from sources
inside the UN
Department of
Political
Affairs,
back on
September 1.
As
Inner City
Press
wrote on
September 14,
"Three top UN
jobs on Libya
-- four if you
count
[Canadian
elections
expert Craig]
Jenness -- and
no Africans or
Arabs, after
all the
planning was
done in New
York by a
Brit."
Twice
Inner City
Press asked
Nesirky to
respond to
criticism from
within the
UN's own
Department of
Political
Affairs that
Africans, and
Arabs, have
been cut out.
Nesirky
repeated,
these are
international
civil
servants.
Europeans
only?
Many questions
were raised
about
Charpentier's
closeness with
the Khartoum
regime of Omar
al Bashir,
indicted for
genocide by
the
International
Criminal
Court. This is
the best the
UN can find?
Since
Ian
Martin erred
by writing in
his report,
leaked to and
published by
Inner City
Press, that
NATO would
have a
continuing
role in Libya,
it appears
that Ban
looked for a
non-NATO
member -- but
only as far as
Finland.
Earlier
on Monday,
French foreign
minister Alain
Juppe took
five questions
at the Council
on Foreign
Relations,
mostly about
Palestine.
Inner City
Press was
there, but not
called on by
fawning
moderator
James P. Rubin
to ask about
Libya. In his
opening
remarks, Juppe
said that NATO
will keep
bombing until
all Qaddafi
supporters
give us. He
called South
Africa "the
most
reluctant" of
the IBSA
countries, but
said that on
March 19 at
the UN South
Africa "got
convinced."
And so it
goes.
, 
