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Gambari Says He Has Quit Niger Delta Post For Lack of
Time, Gordon Brown's Comments May "Create Problems"
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
July 21, updated July 22 --
Ibrahim Gambari, the UN
Under Secretary General dealing with both Myanmar and Iraq, took a
leave of
absence to also deal with the Niger Delta conflict in his native
Nigeria. On
July 10, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesperson Michele Montas to
confirm that
Gambari had quit the Niger Delta position. Ms.
Montas responded that Gambari's "role in the
Niger Delta peace
talks is a role that he's undertaking on his own." Inner City Press
asked
if Gambari would tell the UN if he quit the role -- yes, Ms. Montas
said -- and
if he had by July 10 so informed the UN. "Not that I know of," Ms.
Montas replied. Transcript here.
On July
21, Gambari told Inner City Press, "I've decided to step down at
chairman
of the steering group of the National Summit," because it takes "too
much time. Ban Ki-moon agreed only as long as it did not negative
affect my work
here. Of course, as a Nigerian I'm available to help in any way I can.
But full
time, I can't do it."
Ibrahim Gambari speaks on Myanmar, Niger Delta side-job no longer shown
Other
reasons for Gambari's stepping-down have been set
forth. But this is what Gambari approached Inner City
Press to say, and we report it here. Inner City Press asked if anyone
would
replace Gambari. "The sad thing is, no one wants it," Gambari said.
Inner City
Press joked that Gordon Brown apparently wants to get involved,
referring to
Brown's statement that the
UK would back up Nigeria's government militarily in
the Delta. "That's going to create problems," Gambari said.
The
counter-position, expressed to Inner City Press since this piece was first published,
is that Brown's comments were misconstrued as an open-ended offer to
back the government in, or against, the Niger Delta. We'll see.
Inner City
Press also asked Gambari about the UN's
loss of
value when it converts to the local currency, Kyat, through Foreign
Exchange
Certificates, as required and valuated by the government of Than Shwe.
We will
have more on that issue, as the UN's John Holmes as committed to
looking into
it during his current visit to Myanmar. Watch this site. And
this --
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