On
Libya,
As UN Martin
"Did Nothing"
& Needs
Extension,
Western
Priority
Meetings
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 28 --
The UN's Libya
envoy Ian
Martin buzzed
around
the Security
Council Friday
morning,
meeting with a
number of
Western
ambassadors.
Inner City
Press has
learned the
purpose of his
selective
bilateral
meetings: "he
cannot set up
UNSMIL in
three
months, he
needs a
rollover" --
that is, more
time for the
UN
Support
Mission in
Libya.
But
three
non-Western
Permanent
Representatives
consulted by
Inner City
Press
not only had
not met with
Martin, their
Missions to
the UN had not
even received
any request
from Martin
for a meeting.
This included
a
Permanent Five
member of the
Council.
Chinese
Permanent
Representative
Li Baodong,
not aware of
any request
from Martin,
smiled and
told Inner
City Press,
"That's a good
point."
The Permanent
Representative
of an African
Union member
said no
contact had
been made by
Martin,
despite
statements
that Africans
and
the African
Union would be
kept involved.
(c) UN Photo
Martin,
Ban &
disappeared
Khatib,
Euro-centric
meetings not
shown
Sources
on the
UN's Advisory
Committee on
Administrative
and Budgetary
Questions say
that Martin
has requested
to meet with
them.
As
Inner City
Press
previously
reported,
there is a $10
million cap on
funds that
can be
expended
without going
to the full Fifth
(Budget)
Committee,
yesterday the
scene of a
fiasco in
which the
European
Union's
insistent
request to
speak second
was resolved,
against the
EU, by a
coin flip -
click here
for that
story.
"One
third of
Martin's
mandate is
gone and he
did nothing,"
a Council
diplomat
told Inner
City Press.
"We all know
he needs a
roll over. But
why do his
meetings in
this order?"
In fairness,
UNSMIL is
barely getting
deployed.
Martin briefed
the Council by
video not from
Tripoli but
Malta. But he
or some other
knowledgeable
person about
Libya in the
UN needs to
take and
answer
questions -
and not only
friendly
questions,
like friendly
delegations.
Friday's
buzzing
around, yet
another
Council
diplomat told
Inner City
Press, "shows
who Martin's
friend are."
Analyis:
the irony is
that that
Council's non
Western
members see UN
primacy in
Libya as an
alternative to
NATO and its
members. But
then the UN,
that is UNSMIL
and Martin,
should be
evenhanded.
The initial
line up of
leadership,
and this, is
"not the UN,"
as one Council
diplomat put
it to Inner
City Press.
, 
