|
On Haiti, UN Council Members
Blame Aristide, Blur Sex Abuse, Pitch Development
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
April 6 -- In the run-up to a Haiti
donors' conference on April 14, the UN Security Council heard speeches
for five
hours on Monday. Afterwards, Inner City Press asked Hedi Annabi, the
chief of
the UN's mission in Haiti MINUSTAH, about collapsed school buildings,
UN
peacekeepers returned to Sri Lanka charged with sexual abuse, and the
food
price riots of a year ago. Video here.
Annabi said
that one third of Haitian still suffer from malnutrition and perhaps
relatedly
that fully 111 Sri Lankan soldiers were repatriated under what he
called the
UN's "zero tolerance policy on sexual abuse." Inner City Press asked
what had been done in and by Sri Lanka about the 111 soldiers. Annabi
said that
he is not well informed of what is filed with UN headquarters, but that
Sri
Lanka filed something. But what? The UN's policy for now, to paragraph
the
advertisement for Las Vegas, seems to be "what happens in Haiti, stays in
Haiti."
Costa Rican
ambassador Jorge
Urbina, who had said he would raise the sexual abuse issue
when he led the Council's trip to Haiti last month, likewise had no
factual
update on any discipline meted out to these soldiers in and by Sri
Lanka. He
spoke of nation building. When Inner City Press asked if he thought
that the
upcoming elections should include the party of Aristide, he answered
that the
exclusion was due to Aristide himself being unwilling to sign for
either of his
party's candidates. Still, he said, legitimacy would be enhanced by the
inclusion of these "important" groups, adding, "I don't know how
important" they are. Video here.
UN's Ban and Annabi and Bill Clinton in
Haiti, sex abuse follow-up not shown
Security Council
president Claude Heller of Mexico told the Press it is up to Haitians
to
interpret the Council's Presidential Statement, that the elections
should be
"inclusive." Inner City Press asked about an incident early in the
resumed Council session in the afternoon in which Chile's Ambassador
appeared
to complain about UN agencies speaking to the Council before member
states like
his. Heller replied that he thought it important that the agencies
speak when
they did, immediately after the 15 Council members. Video here.
We'll wait to hear from
Chile.
Footnotes: on the
UN's flimsy "zero tolerance
of sexual abuse" policy, its previously proponent and defender, Jane
Holl
Lute, was recently grilled in the U.S. Senate confirmation process for
her
Deputy of Homeland Security post about lack of follow-through on sexual
abuse,
and about her role in steering a $250 million no-bid contract to
Lockheed
Martin's PAE in Darfur. Her defense, according to Capitol Hill sources,
was to
blame the UN for refusing to release documents, even to Congress. Zero
tolerance, indeed... Just taking the repatriation from Sri Lanka as an
example
-- one could just as easily choose the repatriation to Morocco from
Ivory
Coast, or the ongoing spat between the UN, DR Congo and India on this
issue --
it is imperative that the UN be questioned for the actual follow-up
results,
and release them. Watch this site.
Posing seemingly
obligatory North Korea questions,
Inner City Press asked President Heller for an update (consultations
continue)
and Ambassador Urbina of Costa Rica if the non-permanent members other
than
Japan have any involvement. Urbina replied that the process will soon
include
them, and they hope for a resolution. A resolution, and not a
presidential or
press statement? That is our position, Urbina said. And that day at the
stakeout was done.
President of the General Assembly D'Escoto to
his credit took a North Korea question from Inner City Press -- click here for his
answer -- while at a press conference about the
human right
to food, which Inner City Press is covering in a separate dedicated
story, click here
to view.
Click here
for a new YouTube video, mostly UN Headquarters footage, about civilian
deaths
in Sri Lanka.
Click here for Inner City
Press' March 27 UN debate
Click here for Inner City
Press March 12 UN (and AIG
bailout) debate
Click here for Inner City
Press' Feb 26 UN debate
Click
here
for Feb.
12 debate on Sri Lanka http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/17772?in=11:33&out=32:56
Click here for Inner City Press' Jan.
16, 2009 debate about Gaza
Click here for Inner City Press'
review-of-2008 UN Top Ten debate
Click here for Inner
City Press' December 24 debate on UN budget, Niger
Click here from Inner City Press'
December 12 debate on UN double standards
Click here for Inner
City Press' November 25 debate on Somalia, politics
and this October 17 debate, on
Security Council and Obama and the UN.
* * *
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] innercitypress.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 -
|
, 
