As Libya Heads UN Council, Africa Focus Questioned, Pakistan Not on Agenda

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, January 3 -- As Libya takes a seat on and the monthly presidency of the UN Security Council, Libyan ambassador Giadalla Ettalhi on Thursday briefed reporters on the Council's program of work for January. Inner City Press asked about Moammar Gaddafi's quote last year against the "internationalization" of the Darfur conflict, his insistence that it should be solved locally (and by implication not with UN Security Council involvement), just as, he said, the Los Angeles riots were solved locally. Would this position of Gaddafi's influence how Ambassador Ettalhi will preside over the Council this month, on Darfur and other issues? "No, certainly not," Amb. Ettalhi replied. But how not?

            Inner City Press also asked about Ettalhi's confining of Somalia to the footnotes of his program of work, despite the fact that the authorization of the African Union force there expires on January 17. Does Amb. Ettalhi envision the Council taking up the suggestion that it either commit more UN resources to the African Union force, known as AMISOM, or commit to a shift to a hybrid UN-AU force as in Darfur? "I don't know what the Security Council will do," Amb. Ettalhi said, adding that "all of them are really concerned by the situation." Video here, from Minute 40:14.

            Twice Amb. Ettalhi said that it was unfortunate that the Council was dealing with Africa. But when asked if Pakistan and the assassination of Benazir Bhutto might be on the agenda this month, Amb. Ettalhi said no. Asked if the unrest in Kenya will be dealt with by the Council, Amb. Ettalhi replied "I don't hope it will come up."  Will Gaddafi be coming to the Council? No, Amb. Gaddafi said, especially since Libya will not be holding any thematic debate during its month.

Ban Ki-moon and Gaddafi, in shades in Sirte

    In a Council meeting Thursday morning, the committee chair assignments for 2008 were doled out. The Counter Terrorism Committee, over which Slovakian Ambassador Peter Burian used to preside, is now in the hard of new member Croatia. Vietnam becomes the chair of the Sierra Leone sanctions committee. Blood diamonds, anyone? France holds on to Children and Armed Conflict, while its neighbor Belgium will be in charge of the sanctions on Cote d'Ivoire. The Ivorian delegation, last time they spoke in the Council, asked how the choice is made about which members are allowed to first-draft resolutions. That is a question that, beyond "the Permanent Five decide," has yet to be answered... Watch this site.

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Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

  Because a number of Inner City Press' UN sources go out of their way to express commitment to serving the poor, and while it should be unnecessary, Inner City Press is compelled to conclude this installment in a necessarily-ongoing series by saluting the stated goals of the UN agencies and many of their staff. Keep those cards, letters and emails coming, and phone calls too, we apologize for any phone tag, but please continue trying, and keep the information flowing.

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