UN
Resolution
for New S. Sudan Mission May Be Delayed Until July
9
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July
6, updated -- With the mandate of the UN Mission in Sudan set to
expire on July 8, the day before South
Sudan declares independence,
as of June 6 at the UN in New York the Security Council resolution to
create a new
force in South Sudan has not yet been passed.
At
a meeting of
Deputy Permanent Representatives on July 5, one member voiced
opposition to forming the new Mission until after South Sudan
formally declares independence, and found some suppporters. They
pointed at a paragraph in the
draft resolution which welcomes the creation of South Sudan.
Either
the word “imminent” should be added, or the resolution not
adopted until Saturday, July 9, they said.
Kiir & Bashir in Juba, new UN resolution & mission not yet seen
Inner
City
Press asked US Permanent Representative Susan Rice about this on
the morning of July 6. She replied, “As long as it's done by
[July] 9th, it doesn't matter.”
“By” or “on”?
Update:
as
the Security Council continued consulting Wednesday on the South
Sudan resolution, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative Sasha
Pankin came out and told Inner City Press, regarding the timing of
adopting, “Does it really matter to a mission in New York, Friday
at 7 pm or Saturday at 8 am?” He added that there are other
issues, too, to be addressed. Inner City Press hears these include
the size -- and cost -- of the force. Watch this site.
* * *
With
Ban
&
Bashir
Headed to Juba, UN and War Crimes Are Left Murky:
Handshakes or Handcuffs?
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July
4
-- For the upcoming independence day of South Sudan
on July 9, the President of North Sudan Omar
al-Bashir “will be
there,” Bashir's ambassador to the UN told Inner City Press on June
27. The next day, South Sudan leaders in Juba confirmed the
invitation.
Bashir
has
been
indicted
by the International Criminal Court for genocide and war
crimes in Darfur.
On
July 1, after
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's deputy spokesman Farhan Haq
announced that Ban will attend on July 9, and “will meet with
[South Sudan] President Salva Kiir Mayardit, as well as with the
troops, staff and management of the UN Mission in Sudan, UNMIS”
Inner City Press asked
Haq
if
Ban would meet with Bashir:
Inner
City
Press:
Sudan’s
Permanent Representative says that Omar
al-Bashir will be attending as he is indicted by the ICC
[International Criminal Court]. What does the Secretary-General
think about that? Is he going to meet with Bashir? Is he opposed to
meeting with Bashir if he is there at this, as stated by the Perm Rep
in Juba for this ceremony?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson
Haq:
First of all, I don’t believe that there
is any plan to meet with President Bashir. But second, beyond that,
regarding the invitation, what I can say is that the International
Criminal Court is an independent judicial institution. It has a
mandate distinct and separate from that of the United Nations. The
Secretary-General fully respects and supports the International
Criminal Court and its work. How States conduct themselves in the
light of the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal
Court is a matter for States to determine in the light of the legal
instruments applicable to them.
This
answer
appears
tailored
to avoid the recent controversies of Bashir's
travels and meetings with heads of state. But shouldn't the UN hold
itself to a higher, less legalistic standard?
UNMIS
has
already
repeatedly
used UN helicopters to fly Ahmed Haroun, indicted for war
crimes in Darfur, into conflict zones in which Bashir's and Haroun's
National Congress Party is accuse of orchestrating more ethnic
cleansing while UNMIS peacekeepers stood by or worse.
Ban & Bashir, right monitoring plan not shown:
shaking on July 9?
To
defend those
flights, Ban on June 6 said “On this use of UN helicopters by Mr.
Haroun, that was done, as we have already explained, on a very
specific and special case. It is not routinely provided that these
helicopters or military assets are provided to those people who are
indicted. There are legal implications – we are fully aware.”
Really? We'll see.
Footnote:
Also
on
July
1 Inner City Press asked
Haq
about
UNMIS inaction:
Inner
City
Press:
....the
fighting in Kadugli, and they, in one instance
they, they quote a person saying that his friend Philip drove to the
UN compound and was shot to the chest in front of it. And the Times
says UN officials confirmed the killing. So I just wanted to, I
guess, I mean there it is, it’s in writing, but how did the UN
confirm it and what has it learned from an instance of civilians
seeking protection being killed directly in front of the UN
peacekeeping base in Kadugli?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson:
Well,
we’ve made our concerns known about the
situation in Kadugli, and we have repeatedly called on the parties to
halt the fighting. You are aware, and we’ve mentioned several
times in recent days the consequences of the fighting in Kadugli. For
details on that specific shooting incident, I’d refer you over to
UNMIS.
But
in the three
days since, nothing has been heard from UNMIS. Watch this site.
, 
in