By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
Follow Up
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 14, video here -- Minutes after the
UN announced
on November
26 the
departure of
Humanitarian
Affairs chief
Baroness
Valerie Amos,
Inner City
Press asked
UN Deputy
Spokesperson
Farhan Haq if
the vacancy
would be
advertised for
candidates
from all
countries, or
if it is set
aside for
Amos' United
Kingdom.
Then on
January 9,
Inner City
Press
exclusively
reported that
the UK after
first
submitting
only the name
of Andrew
Lansley has
added too
more, scarcely
more
qualified.
And,
significantly,
the Italy had
nominated Emma
Bonino,
sources
exclusively
told Inner
City Press,
and Germany
nominated
Martin Kobler,
currently the
head of the
UN's Mission
in the Congo.
Now on January
14, Inner City
Press is
informed by
sources of
another
candidate, a
minister from
the United
Arab Emirates,
Lubna Khalid
Al Qasimi, a
member of the
ruling family
of Sharjah.
The UAE has,
it is noted,,
the
"Humanitarian
City." And the
UAE did give
$1 million to
OCHA's CERF
last month.
Bonino is well
regarded in
international
circles -- one
source said
she is "too
strong a
character" for
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon to
choose -- and
Kobler after
Iraq has his
experience in
the Congo, for
better and
worse. Either
is more
experience
than the UK
troika.
Beyond
Lansley, whose
qualification
is a brief
visit to UN
health
conferences,
the other UK
candidates
sources tell
Inner City
Press are
Caroline
Spelman and
Stephen
O'Brien.
Humanitarian
groups, who
have
petitioned Ban
to establish a
selection
procedure
including the
IASC, the
Inter-Agency
Standing
Committee, are
not impressed
by the UK's
candidates.
Could the UK
really lose
this Under
Secretary
General post?
It's looking
more likely.
If Kobler were
chosen, would
fellow German
Angela Kane
have to leave?
What about
Staffan De
Mistura, USG
and Syria
envoy, and
Bonino? We'll
have more on
this.
, 
