Mali
Mutiny
On Then Off UN
SC Agenda on
Day of Fire
Alarms, UNIFIL
Cheapskates
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 21 --
Wednesday was
a day of
emergencies at
the UN
Security
Council. After
statements
were adopted
on Syria in
the
morning, there
was a fire
alarm and the
Council was
evacuated.
When
the meetings
reconvened in
the afternoon,
a reported
mutiny
beginning
in Mali
brought
mid-level
diplomats
running to the
Council for a
closed door
"Other
Matters"
session on the
Sahel nation.
Council
members
emerged asking
even the
Press, "What
is happening
in Mali?"
Inner City
Press relayed
what was
online, and
put simple
questions to
the Office of
the Spokesman
for the UN and
Ban Ki-moon:
"This
is
a Press
request for UN
comment and
whatever
knowledge the
UN has
of the
situation in
Mali, as
regards mutiny
in Bamako and
Gao. What
is the UN's
presence in
Mali? What
reports has
the UN
received? Who
is briefing
the Security
Council under
Any Other
Business /
Other
Matters? On
deadline"
Still
by 5 pm,
after France
for example
already put
out a
statement and
US State
Department
spokesperson
Victoria
Nuland had
been asked
about it and
promised to
get back,
nothing from
the UN.
A UN
spokesperson
just
before 5 pm
that no one
from the
Department of
Political
Affairs
would be
briefing the
Council on
Mali. And two
Permanent
Representative
then told
Inner City
Press Mali
would be put
off until
Thursday -- at
4:30 pm as it
turns out. One
said, this is
the impact of
NATO on Libya
and
dispersion of
Gaddafi's
guns.
Rather
than brief
on Mali, DPA
produced Derek
Plumbly to
speak on
Lebanon. But
when
Inner City
Press asked
him about the
impact of
France
withdrawing
400
soldiers from
UNIFIL, and
Italy
following
suit, Plumbly
was
dismissive
that it would
have an
impact.
He didn't know
the number
being
withdrawn by
Italy (which
he first
called Spain),
saying "ask
DPKO." But
DPKO chief
Herve Ladsous
refuses to
answer the
simplest of
questions,
such as if the
mission in
South Sudan
now has
functioning
helicopters,
when he come
to the
Council.
And so it goes
at the UN, and
in
post-subprime
international
relations:
France wants
to cut
peacekeeping,
and mis-manage
it, but can
rush out
statements and
exhortations.
It can push
for an arms
embargo on
Libya then
air-drop in
weapons into
the Nafusa
mountains and
then not
follow
through. C'est
comme ca.
, 
