Inner City Press

Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the Inner City to Wall Street to the United Nations

These reports are usually available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis

Google
  Search innercitypress.com Search WWW (censored?)

In Other Media-eg Nigeria, Zim, Georgia, Nepal, Somalia, Azerbaijan, Gambia Click here to contact us     .

,



Home -

These reports are usually available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis

Follow us on TWITTER

CONTRIBUTE

Subscribe to RSS feed

BloggingHeads.tv

March 1, 2011: Libya

Video (new)

Reuters AlertNet 8/17/07

Reuters AlertNet 7/14/07

Support this work by buying this book

in

Click on cover for secure site orders

also includes "Toxic Credit in the Global Inner City"
 

 

 


Community
Reinvestment

Bank Beat

Freedom of Information
 

How to Contact Us



As UNSC Condemns Mumbai Bombings, Human Rights Phrase Used From Kabul to Kampala, & India 2008, Gets Omitted

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 13 -- The UN Security Council's press statement about today's Mumbai bombings does not contain the Council's usual admonition to “States that they must ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.”

   Significantly, this language appeared in the Security Council's statement condemning terrorist act in Mumbai back in November 2008.

  Some ask, what changed: India's position, or its power?

  When a terrorist attack like today's occurs, the UN Security Council members issue ritualized press statements. They use templates, because they see a need to respond the same day as the attack, and there is not time to negotiate a brand new statement for each incident.

  But when German Permanent Representative Peter Wittig read out the Council's press statement about the three Mumbai bombings on Wednesday afternoon, he immediately began walking away from the microphone. Video here.

  Inner City Press asked the first, and only, question: was there any discussion of who was responsible for the bombings?

  There was no discussion of responsibility, Ambassador Wittig said, and left. 

  There was another question, which while it seems Wittig would not have answered remains puzzling to some: the omission of the human rights language.

  In the Security Council's press statement last year about bombings in Kampala, Uganda -- then a member of the Council -- it was said that

The members of the Security Council remind States that they must ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.”

  The same admonition was contained in the Council's press statement about terrorist attacks in Iran issued four days later on July 16, 2010:

The members of the Security Council remind States that they must ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.”

  Regarding bombings in Abuja, Nigeria -- a Security Council member -- the Council on October 4, 2010 said the same:

The members of the Security Council reminded States that they must ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.”

  The same language is found in Security Council press statements about terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. Later on Wednesday, after the Council's Mumbai statement, Inner City Press asked Afghan Permanent Representative Tanin about the statements. He indicated that Afghanistan gets the Council's normal treatment.

 This was true -- that is, the human rights language was included -- in Council statements about Afghanistan in on February11, 2009 (Kabul), on August 26, 2009 (Kandahar), on October 8, 2009 (Kabul), and on October 25, 2010 (Herat).

  This year the human rights language has been in the Security Council statements on Morocco (April 29, 2011) and Belarus (April 10, 2011).

  There have been at least three recent exceptions to this template, all three regarding a Permanent Five member of the Council. India is not a Permanent member, at least not yet. But India, perhaps as a reflection of its newly muscular foreign policy or economic heft, seems to some to have requested and gotten that same treatment.

  Significantly, the Security Council's condemnation of terrorist acts in Mumbai on November 28, 2008 did contain the human rights language:

The members of the Security Council reminded States that they must ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law.”

  The death of innocents is of course to be condemned. But the Security Council speaks in words. So how terrorism is condemned must be covered, comparing both statements about different countries and about the same country in different years. We will have more on this.


  Here is the Council's July 13 statement on Mumbai:

Press Statement

The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks that occurred in various parts of Mumbai, India on 13 July 2011, causing numerous deaths and injuries. They expressed their deep sympathy and sincere condolences to the victims of these heinous acts and to their families, and to the people and Government of India.

The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.

The members of the Security Council reiterated their determination to combat all forms of terrorism, in accordance with its responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations.

* * *

At UN, Few Answers to India & Colombia on Children & Armed Conflict "Mandate Creep," German Slogan Dredged Up

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 12, updated -- During what was billed as a “debate” on Children and Armed Conflict in the UN Security Council on Tuesday, countries like Colombia and India criticized the way the concept is being carried out by the UN.

Colombia's foreign minister Maria Angela Holguin called “unacceptable” the UN's attempts to talk to the FARC rebels without the consent of her government. India's Permanent Representative Hardeep Singh Puri complained, for the second day in a row, about the UN's “mandate creep.”

Afterward, Inner City Press asked about the critique and requested responses from Secretary General Ban Ki-moon through this spokesman, UNICEF and German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle, in his capacity as Security Council president.

Typical of the UN, none wanted to directly respond. Westerwelle said he wouldn't comment on what other countries said, emphasizing only that the resolution passed.


Westerwelle meets Ban July 12, reply to India not shown

Ban Ki-moon came to the stakeout and read a statement but took no questions. His spokesman Martin Nesirky said Ban had an urgent 11:45 telephone call.

At the noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Nesirky for Ban's response to the critique, and to those who feel that the decisions of which countries to put on the CAAC Annex is arbitrary, excluding for example Pakistan despite the armed conflict and child recruitment admitted by Ban's previous envoy Jean-Maurice Ripert.

  On the former, Nesirky replie that "the most important thing to emphasize here is that the Security Council has been consistently focused on this topic, underscoring the importance that the international community attaches to dealing with the question of children and armed conflict."

   On the latter, Nesirky told Inner City Press to asked Ban's CAAC expert, Radhika Coomaraswamy. She had come out of the Council ready to do a stakeout, but was told there were not enough journalists. Later she told Inner City Press among other things that her office needs now to do the political work, explain how her Office works. Inner City Press asked, will you come out to speak after Myanmar's speech? She replied, and speak to you?

  Update: when the session ended at 5:45 pm, Ms. Coomaraswamy and her team emerged. They indicted, again, that Colombia's fear is unfounded, that they would not speak to a rebel group without the government's consent. One wonders why Colombia wasn't answered, on the record, during what was called the debate?

 UNICEF's Tony Lake came out and Inner City Press asked him about the critique by India and Colombia. “I'm running late,” he said, indicating he would have answered “if ten minutes earlier.” But after Inner City Press immediately e-mailed the questions to four separate UNICEF spokespeople, still there was no answer two hours later.

  Footnote: Alongside the debate, the Permanent Representative of Syria was told that Westervelle political party in 1999, the FDP, was associated with a slogan, "Kinder Statt Inder" -- children not Indians. It was a reference to the granting of information technology visa to Indians.

  The other side is that is was in only one region, not by FDP but CDU, and unrelated to India's opposition to the German introduced and pushed resolution. But so it goes at the UN. We exoect to hear more on this.

* * *

On Sudan, Could an UNMIS “Wrap-Up” Resolution Provide S. Kordofan Protection?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 8 -- As the UN Security Council adopted its resolution for 7000 peacekeeping troops in South Sudan, behind the scenes negotiations continued to see if a separate resolution on the dissolving UN Mission in Sudan was needed, and what it could accomplish.

  Sudan's president Omar al Bashir, indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide in Darfur, has ordered the UN mission in North Sudan to start winding down the moment South Sudan declares independence.

  But the political coordinator of a BRICS country told Inner City Press that it is possible that a “wind-up” resolution could provide for UN peacekeepers staying in the violent border areas of South Kordofan and Blue Nile at least while the mission is being wound up.

  “That would require the consent of Bashir,” a representative of a Permanent member of the Council pointed out, adding that the UN Department of Field Support and Office of Legal Affairs, headed by Patricia O'Brien, had been asked to opine if a wind up resolution is needed.

  The spokesman of another Permanent member said that negotiations were continuing, even on the eve of South Sudan's independence, with Ban Ki-moon in Khartoum, meeting with not with Bashir but foreign minister Ali Karti.

  “It would be a good message to have such a resolution,” the representative said, indicating the UN was not just getting thrown out. But isn't it?


Kiir & Bashir in Juba, new UN resolution & mission not yet seen

  At Friday's UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Ban's acting deputy spokesman Farhan Haq about reports that the Egyptian UN peacekeepers in Kadugli in Southern Kordofan sat by while civilians were killed right outside their gates, and that two Nuba UN local staff were killed.

  Haq denied the later, and pointed to earlier statements on the former. Inner City Press is still waiting for a response from UNMIS promised earlier in the week. Better hurry up: for now, UNMIS is over on July 9. Watch this site -- and this, Inner City Press July 7 debate on BloggingHeads.tv about Sudan.

Click for July 7, 11 BloggingHeads.tv re Sudan, Libya, Syria, flotilla

Click for Mar 1, '11 BloggingHeads.tv re Libya, Sri Lanka, UN Corruption

Click here for Inner City Press' March 27 UN debate

Click here for Inner City Press March 12 UN (and AIG bailout) debate

Click here for Inner City Press' Feb 26 UN debate

Click here for Feb. 12 debate on Sri Lanka http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/17772?in=11:33&out=32:56

Click here for Inner City Press' Jan. 16, 2009 debate about Gaza

Click here for Inner City Press' review-of-2008 UN Top Ten debate

Click here for Inner City Press' December 24 debate on UN budget, Niger

Click here from Inner City Press' December 12 debate on UN double standards

Click here for Inner City Press' November 25 debate on Somalia, politics

and this October 17 debate, on Security Council and Obama and the UN.

* * *

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

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

Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com

UN Office: S-453A, UN, NY 10017 USA Tel: 212-963-1439

Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540

Google
  Search innercitypress.com  Search WWW (censored?)

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

            Copyright 2006-08 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com -