At
UN, Rwanda
"Confident,"
SADC Might
Abstain, Carr
Says Too Many
EU
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 18 --
In the run-up
to the first
round of
balloting
for UN
Security
Council seats
on Thursday
morning, Inner
City Press
asked two
Rwandan
diplomats on
their way in
for their
predicted vote
count.
No
predictions,
was the reply,
but we are
confident. The
timing of the
leak of a
Congo
sanctions
report two
days before
the voting
alleging
Rwandan
support of the
M23 mutineers
has led to a
question: how
many
abstentions?
Lost in most
of the
coverage is
Rwanda's
pre-existing
objection to
the sanctions
Group of
Experts
coordinator
Steve Hege,
for
downplaying in
2009 the
threat posed
by the FDLR
militia.
A
well placed
African source
predicted to
Inner City
Press that
some in
SADC would
abstain, along
with the
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo.
Of
the DRC's
dismissed
objection just
before the
voting, that
Rwanda is not
eligible
because it is
not
peace-loving
and is an
oasis for war
criminals,
another
African
Permanent
Representative
said, "it's
not the time
for that, this
is not
the place for
substantive"
moves.
Another asked,
"hasn't Bosco
[Ntaganda]
been leaving
in the Congo?"
Does that make
them an oasis?
In
the WEOG race,
Inner City
Press asked
Australian
foreign
minister Bob
Carr if he
felt there are
already too
many Europeans
in the
Council.
Yes, he said,
very much so.
Then he got
more
diplomatic,
describing
Australia's
credentials.
We'll see --
watch this
site.
, 
