On
Sudan Ousters,
Sudan Lauds
UNSC Inaction,
PR
Scapegoating?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 30, more
here –
After Inner
City Press
received a
leaked copy of
Sudan UN
Development
Program
Country
Director
Yvonne Helle's
December 24
e-mail saying
she had been
ordered to
leave the
country, it reported
it and
asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
it at the UN's
noon briefing
on December
24. Story
here, video from UN noon briefing here.
On December
30, UN
Security
Council
consultations
came to
nothing: no
Press
Statement, not
even "elements
to the press."
The UN
Secretariat's
briefer,
Deputy
Secretary
General Jan
Eliasson, did
not come to
the stakeout
to speak, even
after a
request from
Inner City
Press and the
Free
UN Coalition
for Access
(see below).
Now
the Sudan
Tribune -- we
name the media
-- quotes
Foreign
Minister Ali
Karti crowing
that "[The
UNSC] did not
come out with
anything."
They also
report that
"local
Sudanese
newspapers
quoted
diplomatic
sources as
saying that
Khartoum
decided to
replace its UN
ambassador
Rahamtalla
Mohamed Osman
and have him
return home by
mid-January...
Sources
attributed the
move to his
unjustified
absence from
the UNSC
briefing this
month by the
Prosecutor of
the
International
Criminal Court
Fatou
Bensouda...
Sudan’s
current
ambassador to
Juba Mutrif
Sideeg is
speculated to
replace
Osman."
Inner City
Press noted
the presence
outside the
Security
Council on
December 30 of
Rahamtalla
Mohamed Osman;
Council
sources
described to
it an
encounter
between
Rahamtalla
Mohamed Osman
and UK
Ambassador
Mark Lyall
Grant
including the
latter saying,
You can't say
that, it is
outrageous --
which might
actually help
Rahamtalla
Mohamed Osman.
We've asked.
Inner
City Press on
behalf of the
Free
UN Coalition
for Access
asked the UN:
"This
is a request
that Deputy
SG Eliasson
or someone
else from the
Secretariat
hold a press
availability
on Sudan's
decision to
expel Yvonne
Helle (which I
asked about at
the December
24 noon
briefing) and
Ali
Al-Za'tari...
I understood
the DSG to say
he would not
be speaking
afterward
since it was
consultations.
But a media
availability
by the
Secretariat,
ideally the
DSG but
another if
necessary,
later this
afternoon is
being
requested,
including on
behalf of the
Free UN
Coalition for
Access."
UN Deputy
Spokesman
Farhan Haq
replied in the
negative:
"Regarding
your request
for a press
availability,
yes, the
Deputy
Secretary-General
said that he
would not
speak at the
stakeout,
given that the
Security
Council had
held
consultations.
The views he
expressed were
in keeping
with what we
have been
saying on
Sudan,
including in
the 25
December SG
statement:
'The
Secretary-General
condemns the
Government of
Sudan's
decision to
expel the
United Nations
Resident
Coordinator
and
Humanitarian
Coordinator
and the
Country
Director of
the United
Nations
Development
Programme. The
sanctioning of
United Nations
personnel sent
to Sudan to
carry out
their duties
in accordance
with the
United Nations
Charter is
unacceptable.
The
Secretary-General
calls on the
Government of
Sudan to
reverse its
decision
immediately
and urges it
to cooperate
fully with all
United Nations
entities
present in
Sudan.'"
Later
on December
30, minutes
before the UN
Security
Council was to
vote on the
draft
Palestine
resolution,
the UN put
this out:
Note
to
Correspondents
– in response
to questions
on Sudan
The
Secretary-General’s
strongly
critical
position on
the expulsion
from Sudan of
the Resident
Coordinator
and
Humanitarian
Coordinator
(RC/HC) and
UNDP Country
Director is
clear.
Departure of
these key
senior United
Nations
officials
would
constitute a
serious loss
for the
humanitarian
and
development
community in
Sudan at a
time when
humanitarian
needs are
growing and
the country
faces
significant
development
challenges.
The United
Nations has
been engaging
the Government
of Sudan at
several levels
to obtain a
reversal of
its
decision.
It is
essential that
the United
Nations can
continue to
carry out its
crucial duties
in the
country. The
Government has
agreed to
extend the
deadline for
the RC/HC's
departure from
2 January
until the end
of the month.
Discussions on
this issue
continue.
The United
Nations
remains
committed to a
productive and
fruitful
working
relationship
with the
Government of
Sudan for the
benefit of its
people, on the
basis of
respect of
sovereignty.
The United
Nations counts
on the full
cooperation of
the Government
of Sudan in
enabling all
UN entities
and their
leadership to
carry out
their
important
work.
"
Inner City
Press has asked,
why was
nothing said
when Sudan
expelled the
Country
Director of
the UN
Population
Fund UNFPA in
April? When
Sudan this
Fall chased a
UN aid
official out
of Darfur?
There have
been no public
explanation,
but Inner City
Press is
compiling a
picture --
call it
"Profiles in
Cowardice" --
from multiple
sources; watch
this site.
, 
