On
Afghanistan, UN Says There Never Was a Super-Envoy, UK
Cites Misunderstanding of Talks with Taliban
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at
the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
March 26 -- As up to
40% of aid money to Afghanistan is repatriated to donor nations or never leaves
their borders, the UN's role in the country is
riddled with misunderstandings and, according to the UN spokesperson,
"press
myths." Wednesday at UN headquarters, Inner City Press asked
Ban-Ki-moon's
spokesperson Michele Montas for any UN reaction to reports of aid
diversion for and non-delivery to
Afghanistan. While
expressing "concern," Ms. Montas said there would be no comment on
"that NGO
position." Inner City Press asked if aid
waste might have been the type of issue that the "super-envoy"
proposed by the UN (as well as UK and United States), but rejected by
President
Karzai, might have addressed. "There was never a question of a super
envoy," Ms. Montas said. "That was a press myth. There was going to
be an envoy, and he is there now." Video here,
from Minute 18:56. When Inner City
Press asked if the position's powers were in any way reduced from what
was
first proposed, Montas said no, "this is the same mandate that had been
talked about."
This
may come as a surprise to those in or who cover Kabul, given reports
about
President Karzai's veto of Paddy Ashdown and clipping
the wings of the mandate.
Relatedly, Karzai expelled from Afghanistan the UN's Melvyn Patterson
and EU's
Michael Semple, for allegedly carrying money to negotiate with the
Taliban. On
March 20, Inner City Press asked UK Ambassador John Sawers about the
two men
and their status. Amb. Sawers said there are been a lot of
"misunderstanding" about the two men's roles, that what they had done
had been "fully briefed to the Afghan authorities.. everyone who needed
to
know," and that the UK hopes they can soon return to the country. Video
here,
from Minute 4:55.
But
what seems clear is that while the UN's post-Ashdown, "non-super"
envoy Kai Eide may for example be authorized to speak with Iran, he
cannot
speak with the Taliban. This despite the UN's position that it speaks
to
anyone, to get its work done. The UN is misunderstood, yes. But often
it has
only or mostly itself to blame.
Hamid Karzai and Pervez Musharraf in
stare-down, two expelled diplomats and super-envoy not shown
On
Afghanistan's neighbor to the east, Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday spoke with
Pakistan's new prime minister, including about a request for a UN
investigation
of the murder of Benazir Bhutto. Ban's spokesperson Michele Montas said
that in
the call, it was said that the next step is an act of parliament in
Pakistan.
Any request, she said, will be passed on to the Security Council. But while the setting up of a tribunal, like the one
in The
Hague for Hariri, would require Security Council action, is there
nothing in
the nature of investigative help that the Secretariat could consider
giving
without Council action being required? For example, if the UN helps to
investigate a crash,
does that require Council consideration and approval?
Speaking
of crashes, Inner City Press on Wednesday asked Ms. Montas about two
separate
crashes: one in November 2007 in Liberia, and another,
just-happened, in Darfur, Sudan. While Ms.
Montas said she had addressed the Darfur crash, that appears to be in
reference
to attacks on UN (World Food Program) drivers. The crash was by the UN,
into a
bus, killing civilians. Ms. Montas said she would seek and provide more
information about the crash in Darfur, and Inner City Press has asked
the UN
Mission in Liberia and its Office of Legal Affairs about the other
claim. Watch
this site.
* * *
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] inner
citypress.com
UN Office: S-453A, UN, NY 10017 USA
Tel: 212-963-1439
Reporter's mobile (and weekends):
718-716-3540
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 -
|