Inner City Press: Investigative Reporting from the United Nations

UAE May Name Dubai Assassins for UN Terror List, Fatah Says, Opacity at UN as US Disclaims Council Statement

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 5 -- The United Arab Emirates is considering submitted to the UN Security Council's terrorism list the names of "those terrorists" who assassinated a Hamas leader in Dubai, Palestine's Permanent Observer to the UN Riyad Mansour told the Pres on Friday.

Inner City Press asked Ambassador Mansour if his delegation wanted to raise to the UN the assassination in Dubai. We leave that to our brothers in the UAE, Mansour answered, it is a matter of sovereignty for them. Video here, from Minute 8:47.

The UN's "terrorism list," as Mansour put it, is a list pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1267. Al Qaeda and the Taliban are on it, as is the shadowy and some say non existent East Turkestan Islamic Movement ascribed to Western China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. The inclusion of "agents of Mossad" would be something new.

In fact, as one correspondent pointed out later on Friday, the 1267 Committee has recently tried to provide more due process to those on the list, along it still require unanimity on the Council to be removed from the list. But might the procedural improvement benefit Mossad? Most say there is no chance that the Dubai hit men will be added to the list.

Mansour alone at UN, UAE introduction of Mossad names not shown

Mansour was speaking to the press -- two reporters, to be exact -- after the Gabonese president of the Security Council for March, Gabon's Emmanuel Issoze-Ngondet, read out a one paragraph statement about the "provocations" of both side in the Middle East. Inner City Press asked if the reference was to the skirmish between Palestinians and Israeli forces on the Temple Mount that day. The Council president refused to answer even this, walking away from the microphone. Mansour nevertheless called it a strong statement. Video here, at end.

Inner City Press asked Mansour if the "provocations" might also refer to Israel's recent listing of National Heritage Site. Video here, from Minute 6:47. Mansour said yes, referring to "site of heritage for Zionism." And so it goes at the UN.

Footnote: In fact, after the Gabonese president read out the statement that began "the members of the Council expressed their concern," the U.S. Mission to the UN claimed to reporters that it had not agreed, that the statement was only adopted due to "procedural confusion." Inner City Press say U.S. number three official Rosemary DiCarlo leaving the Council before the statement was read. Some asked, where was Susan Rice?

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For UN Council, Iran Rises to Second Footnote, Sudan as Truce, Lebanon Switch

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 2, updated -- As the UN Security Council's work program for March emerged to the Press as this month's president Gabon served muffins and fruit salad, what struck correspondents was a footnote. The second footnote, to be exact: "Non-proliferation." The Iranian nuclear issue, so much discussed in the press, has risen to be the second footnote of the Council for March. "Maybe by May it will actually be on the schedule," snarked one jaded reporter.

The only late breaking development not reflected on the program of work -- which Inner City Press is putting online here, two hours before Gabon unveils it at a press conference -- is that Chad's Idriss Deby has agreed to an extension of the MINURCAT peacekeeping mission for two months, to May 15. So there will be a meeting of Troop Contributing Countries about the mission.

On the developments in Darfur, the deal between the Omar al Bashir government and Khalil Ibrahim's JEM rebels, the public praise by the Secretary General and Security Council, and even US envoy Scott Gration, is contradicted in private meeting of the Permanent Five by U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice, according to inside sources. They say Ms. Rice calls it a mere "truce," not an agreement, between "two Islamist factions."

One would like to ask Ms. Rice to speak on this, but she was not seen at the Council's Tuesday morning breakfast. Some correspondents are invited to her reception for Committee on the Status of Women delegates on Wednesday evening at the U.S. Mission. Perhaps more will emerge from there.

As Gabon got election to Council in Oct. 2009, not seen since

On March 12, the Council will consider the periodic report on Resolution 1701, regarding Lebanon and Israel. Pro-Hezbollah sources tell Inner City Press that while UN envoy Michael Williams gave assurances to the Lebanese that the report would confirm that a shepherd captured and interrogated by Israel had been on Lebanese territory, in New York Lynn Pascoe was responsible for changing the report to say that UNFIL's investigation is not complete.

Loss of face for Williams, the source says. And so it goes.

Update: when the program of work was issued in final form, as predicted it included a "private meeting of MINURCAT TCCs," on Tuesday March 9. It also included on more footnote: ICTY judges. Inner City Press asked Gabon's Emmanuel Issoze-Ngondet about the footnote on West Africa - could it include the coup in Niger -- and about Myanmar, why it is not even a footnote for the month. Video here, from Minute 13:28.

Issoze-Ngondet replied that by West Africa being a footnote, the Coucnil "remains vigilant," including he said on Niger. But does Myanmar not even being a footnote mean the Council is not vigilant?

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

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

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