As
UN
Says No
Casualties
From Sudan
Bombing, Won't
Answer on Air
Force Build Up
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 15, updated
-- If Sudan's
bombing in
South Sudan
didn't
cause any
casualties, as
the UN's Herve
Ladsous said
in the
Security
Council on
Tuesday, how
much will it
change the
condemnatory
Presidential
Statement that
the US was
preparing?
US
Ambassador
Susan Rice
told Inner
City Press,
"we need to
condemn the
bombings."
But
again the
split in
the Council is
on view. Both
Russia and
China
expressed
skepticism to
Inner City
Press after
Ladsous'
report, one
calling the
crater a mere
"hand
grenade," the
other saying
that Western
powers want
to turn its
into a
"Council of
Condemnations."
On
the other
hand,
UK Permanent
Representative
Mark Lyall
Grant said
that since
Yide is
well within
South Sudan,
and there's
verification
of the
presence of
an Antonov 12
-- only used
in the region
by the
Sudanese Air
Force --
then the PRST
can and should
proceed.
But
Russia has
circulated and
asked for fast
action on a
Press
Statement
about South
Sudan's
detention of
Russian
aircraft.
Hilde Johnson,
the UN envoy
to South Sudan
whom Sudan
called an
"advocate,"
called this
detention
"disappointing."
Westerners say
the
two issues
should be
dealt with
together.
China's
Li Baodong
told Inner
City Press, We
think it
should be
dealt with
separately.
Moments later,
India's
Permanent
Representative
Hardeep Singh
Puri
expressed the
same view as
he left the
Council.
And Council
President
Cabral told
Inner City
Press he
thought the
two would be
separate.
Meanwhile
neither
the
spokesperson
for Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon nor
DPKO, as of
5:30 on
Tuesday, had
answered these
questions from
noon:
Inner
City
Press: In
Sudan, there
are these
satellite
photographs of
the
Sudanese
armed… air
force building
up bases right
next to South
Sudan. So I am
wondering if
that is
something that
the UN can
verify, or
when you said
that Mr.
Ladsous is
going to be
speaking
about Sudan,
is that only
Darfur or does
he have some
jurisdictional
ability to
speak about
the rest of
Sudan?
Deputy
Spokesperson
Eduardo Del
Buey: Well,
we’ll have to
see what he
says this
afternoon on
that.
Inner
City
Press: Will
you be sure
that he will
do a stakeout
and take
questions
then?
Deputy
Spokesperson:
I am not sure
about that, I
don’t have any
information.
Inner
City
Press: Well,
then how can
we wait and
see what he
says?
Deputy
Spokesperson:
Well, because
you will be
able to hear
what he says
on
television.
Inner
City
Press: I know,
but this is a
question. Is
he going to
answer
that question?
Deputy
Spokesperson:
Well, we’ll
try and find
out for you.
Five
and a half
hours later,
nothing. And
despite
putting in the
question,
again, with
Ladsous'
staff, he did
not speak with
the press when
he left the
Security
Council.
As noted,
while exiting
US Ambassador
Susan Rice
told Inner
City Press,
"we need to
condemn the
bombings." She
also said that
that the
satellite
images of
Sudan Air
Force build
up, in El
Obeid and Blue
Nile, had not
been raised -
so, not by
Ladsous.
Russia's
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
Pankin said it
is four times
their
helicopters
have been shot
at or
detained, and
freed only
after
involving
Hilde Johnson
or even Salva
Kiir.
(c) UN Photo
Ladsous
& mic (in
S Sudan),
casualties
& comments
on Air Force
build up not
shown
One wonders
what Ladsous
recent trip to
North
and South
Sudan
accomplished
-- and if the
much overdue
Status of
Forces
Agreement for
Abyei will be
signed
November 15 in
Addis Ababa.
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
After
Sudan's
Permanent
Representative
said he had a
confession on
video from an
SPLM official
that South
Sudan is bring
arms into the
North, Inner
City Press
asked South
Sudan's
representative
David
Choat what he
thought of it.
Choat scoffed,
"They could
put
someone in one
of our
uniforms." And
so it goes.
, 
