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In North Korean War of Words, Abuses in Uganda and Impunity Go Largely Ignored

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee at the U.N.

UNITED NATIONS, July 10 -- Monday at the UN Security Council stakeout, the Ambassadors of the Permanent Five traded sound bytes until almost six p.m.. China's Ambassador Wang Guangya said things should not be enflamed, Chapter 7 should not be invoked in light of other "situations still ongoing." (The reference was to Iraq, reporters surmised.)

   Japanese Ambassador Kenzo Oshima noted that the Chinese position might be different, if the North Korean missiles were aimed at China. The US' John Bolton, asked at noon about Uganda, had nothing on the topic as five p.m. came and past. "If it takes all night, it's alright," he said, as he did ten days ago at the budget cap deadline. That night, he left the building at 5. If there are late nights to come on the North Korean missiles, it will be later in this week or next. Time is being given for the Chinese mission to the DPRK.

Stakeout madness

   At and following the noon briefing, two questions about the Democratic Republic of the Congo were answered. Inner City Press asked regarding the now-freed UN peacekeepers in the DRC, "were they held by Peter Karim?" Yes, the spokeswoman answered. She deferred providing further specifics; later in the afternoon, the following was provided, in writing:

"UN troops in the DRC, who are stretched thin, are focusing on ensuring countrywide security ahead of the 30 July elections and continue to seek peaceful means of ensuring the safety of all Congolese people, including those in the village of Tchei, which as of today remains in the hands of the militias that took it from DRC troops a week ago."

   Meanwhile in Uganda President Museveni's offer of amnesty to the Lord's Resistance Army was reported accepted by Vincent Otti, on behalf of Joseph Kony. At the UN Monday requests for comment from Kofi Annan and John Bolton were met with maybe and later, respectively. The UK's Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry, after Inner City Press followed him down the hallway from the stakeout, said plainly that it is the position of his government that those who are indicted by the International Criminal Court should face justice by the ICC.

    Kony, Otti and three others have been indicted for war crimes by the UN-affiliated ICC. For that reason, one would expect a comment from Kofi Annan on Museveni's amnesty offer, even while he extends his trip to attend the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg. At Monday's noon briefing at UN Headquarters, Inner City Press asked the request for comment be transmitted to Europe, by telephone or Internet. Just after the briefing, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton spoke to reporters at the Security Council stakeout, initially about North Korea but then taking questions on other matters. Inner City Press asked for reaction to Museveni's amnesty offer to Kony. "I've read press reports," John Bolton answered, "but I'll have to get back to you with a response." We'll see.

   Meanwhile, here's the response from Denmark's embassy in Kampala to Inner City Press' questions about the Danish role in disarmament in Eastern Uganda. (UNDP, which has declined to response to any of Inner City Press' questions for more than a week, had initially named Denmark at the funder of UNDP's currently-halted disarmament program in Karamoja.)

From: Dorte Broen [at] um.dk>
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
Sent: Mon, 10 Jul 2006 10:52:55 +0300
Subject: Disarmament in northeastern Uganda

 Dear Mr. Lee,
With reference to correspondence between you and Permanent Mission of Denmark to
the United Nations please be informed that the Royal Danish Embassy in Kampala
1. does NOT support forceful disarmament in Northeast Uganda, Karamoja, but
2. has actively supported the Office of the Prime Minister in developing "Karamoja Integrated Disarmament and Development Programme" (KIDDP), in which voluntary disarmament is an integrated part.
The Embassy furthermore participates in discussions on implementation of KIDDP, and it's possible, but not yet decided, that Denmark will support strengthening of the implementation structures in the region. The Danish support to conflict resolution in Karamoja is part of the overall "Democracy, Justice and Peace Programme".

The ongoing forceful disarmament undertaken by Uganda peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) is not supported by any donors.

Kind regards
Dorte Broen, Counsellor - Development
Royal Danish Embassy, Kampala, Uganda

   The distinction made between points 1 and 2 is predicated on the Ugandan government's KIDDP program not including forcible (or "forceful") disarmament. Developing...

Feedback: editorial [at] innercitypress.com

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On North Korea, Blue Words Move to a Saturday Showdown, UNDP Uzbek Stonewall

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee at the U.N.

UNITED NATIONS, July 7 -- The missiles flew, and at the UN the words turned blue. Friday in the hallways outside the Security Council, the Japanese and American ambassadors said their resolution imposing certain sanctions on North Korea is ready for vote within 24 hours. France's Ambassador De La Sabliere, the Council president this month, said the vote might or might not happen on Saturday. Inner City Press asked him if the vote might be put off pending a Chinese visit to North Korea. "I cannot tell you the timing," Ambassador De La Sabliere replied. A staffer added that the resolution's sponsors will let members and reporters know of their Saturday plans by late Friday afternoon. Russia's ambassador, meanwhile, walked away from the stakeout with reporters in tow, joking but refusing to comment. "I don't want to steal the French ambassador's show," he said. As the stakeout presentation turned to the Central African Republican, most reporters left in droves.

DPRK a/k/a North Korea

            "The vote will not happen," one Council exiter said, "on Sunday between three and five," the time for the World Cup's final game between Italy and France. Another wag, this one, mused that North Korea might conduct an additional test at just that time, a sort of half-time show. Inner City Press asked a French staffer if there was any North Korean commitment to hold its fire on Sunday.  "Fireworks," the staffer answered. "Perhaps on the 14th of July?" Bastille Day -- you read it here first. Here's a key paragraph of the proposed resolution now in blue:

"The Security Council... 4. Decides that Member States shall take those steps necessary to prevent the procurement of missiles or missile-related items, materials, goods and technology from the DPRK, and the transfer of any financial resources to end users involved in or supplying DPRK's missiles or WMD programmes."

Closer reading by Inner City Press' bleary-eyed legal team of the gone-blue resolution leads to this question, among others: who are the targeted "end users... supplying DPRK's missile or WMD programmes"? Logically, an end user doesn't supply anyone else: they end use. So, at whom is Paragraph 4 directed?

            And speaking of financial resources, substance over semantics, many observers note that the crackdown on North Korea's dollar counterfeiting program, and the seizure of its assets in Macau, precipitated this crisis. And in the darkened stakeout, a photographer opined that John Bolton needs to get his glasses fixed, to stop fiddling with them. "Lens Crafters," he recommended. "They're having a sale."

            At the noon briefing, the spokeswoman announced that the talk on the small arms conference, scheduled for 12:30, would now be held at five. Great timing, to get the news out. Having received no responses from the UN Development Programme's external communications head, nor UNDP staffers in Zimbabwe and Uzbekistan, Inner City Press asked Kofi Annan's spokeswoman about the UNDP program to help the government of Uzbekistan collect taxes. Given that the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights' finding that the government of Uzbekistan shot its own people in Andijan in May 2005, and has demanded the refoulement of all dissidents from Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and Kakakhstan, as critiqued by UNHCR, what safeguards does UNDP have in place, if any, to ensure that the taxes it helps to collect are not used for such purposes?

            "We'll try to follow up on the question with UNDP for you," the spokeswoman said. While such intersession should not be needed, whatever gets answers...

Interim follow-up: On Uganda, the UN Department of Political Affairs report circulated to the Security Council on Monday is still not an "official document," though that slow alchemy is expected next week, the spokeswoman said. [Post-briefing, she specified by email that July 12 should be the day.] Then it should move to the Council's agenda.

Postscript 8:30 p.m. -- on the North Korea fracas, it's been announced that there'll be no Security Council meeting over the weekend. The text went blue and for what? In the interim in the basement, the small arms conference plodded to its end. No text was agreed on, the main objector being the United States which opposed any review conference in six years.

  In a wan post-conference sit-down with five reporters in an adjoining room, Chairman Prasad Kariyawasam of Sri Lanka called the U.S.'s stance "unique."  Inner City Press asked how this compared to the HIV/AIDS conference, and whether he thought the process could have benefited from more involvement from the General Assembly president (who will travel mid-July to China wearing two hats, that of Sweden and the G.A. presidency). While the spin was that this small arms conference was a victory, that wasn't the review from the floor or audience in the final proceedings. "Disgusting," an arms-violence expert in the cheap seats said. The UNDP seat was empty, and past deadline the S-G's spokesman's office had only this to say: "On your question today about how UNDP can work with the Uzbek Government on assistance to its tax collection efforts when the UN human rights officials say the government harms its own people [we're] checking in with UNDP on this."  Inner City Press has been checking in with UNDP on this and other questions for more than a week. And so, again, it goes...

Other Inner City Press reports are archived on www.InnerCityPress.org

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Other Inner City Press reports are archived on www.InnerCityPress.org

For reporting about banks, predatory lending, consumer protection, money laundering, mergers or the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), click here for Inner City Press's weekly CRA Report. Inner City Press also reports weekly concerning the Federal Reserve, environmental justice, global inner cities, and more recently on the United Nations, where Inner City Press is accredited media. Follow those links for more of Inner City Press's reporting, or, click here for five ways to contact us, with or for more information.

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