From
A
to Z, Araud
& Prince
Zeid Leaving
UNSC, A Tale
of Two
Ambassadors
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 30 --
Two Permanent
Representatives
are set to
leave
the UN
Security
Council and UN
at the end of
June or July:
France's
Gerard Araud
and Jordan
Prince Zeid
Ra'ad Zeid.
They are a
study in
contrasts.
Zeid
at this week's
Sexual
Violence in
Conflict
debate asked
an honest,
self-deprecatory
question: are
UN ambassadors
hypocrites to
call for
accountability
for rape in
some places
while failing
to hold to
account the
"peacekeepers"
they send out
into the
world?
Meanwhile
Araud
insists that
everything
that he and
France do is
beyond
reproach, even
opposing
a human rights
monitoring
mechanism for
Western Sahara,
or
hypocritically
going forward
with Mistral
warship
sales to
Russia
even as Araud
speechifies
against
Russia's
action in
Crimea and
Ukraine.
Another
difference:
Zeid has
always
answered
questions, on
camera and on
the
steps as he
leaves the
Security
Council.
Araud,
meanwhile, refused
to
answer the
Press question
on Mistrals,
and in mid
April while
allowing a
single
critical
question
during his
press
conference
told
the critical
questioner,
"You are not a
journalist,
you are an
agent." Video
here.
(The Free UN Coalition
for Access has
asked
UN spokesman Stephane
Dujarric
to convey to
the French
Mission the
stated UN
position that
correspondent
should be treated
with respect;
he has yet to
do so. Even as
Araud leaves,
the issue as
precedent must
and will be
pursued.)
Zeid
has
specialized in
the issue of
sexual abuse
by
peacekeepers
and has
persistently
pushed forward
on the issue.
Likewise, when
a
controversial
Sri Lankan
military
figure
Shavendra
Silva was put
onto
the UN's
Senior
Advisory Group
on
Peacekeeping
Operations,
Zaid spoke
out. What did
France or
Araud do or
even say?
Perhaps
because
Araud is
leaving, to be
replaced by
Jacques
Audibert, he
is
now letting it
all hang out.
He recently said,
"The UN has
never
been a place
for 'real'
negotiation.
It legitimizes
or implements
agreements
reached
elsewhere."
Where does
this leave the
countries who
run to serve
on the
Security
Council?
Jordan
filled in for
Saudi Arabia
when they
refused the
2014-15
Security
Council seat
they ran for
without
opposition,
and Zeid boned
up and
filled in
admirably.
(His
replacement is
rumored to be
Bishr
al-Khasawneh.)
While
some scribes,
ignoring
Araud's open
attack on
their
ostensible
colleague,
fawn around
Araud,
ultimately
which of
these two
served the UN,
human rights
and
accountability
better, even
without a
Mistral behind
him? Watch
this site.
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