Chile's
UNSC Month Had
7 Stakeouts,
Haiti Trip, No
Palestine
Resolution
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 29 --
When Chile's
Ambassador
Cristián
Barros Melet
held a January
5 press
conference
on the month's
Program of
Work of the UN
Security
Council, Inner
City
Press asked
him about a
next Palestine
resolution,
about rapes
and expulsions
in Sudan and,
on behalf of
the Free
UN Coalition
for Access
to hold as
many question
and answer
stakeouts as
possible.
Twenty four
days later,
when Chile
held its End
of Presidency
reception just
north of the
UN at the
River Club,
there was
still no
Palestine
resolution --
no fault of
Chile, whose
Foreign
Minister
Heraldo Munoz
mid-month
explained the
country's
support of,
and embassy
in, Palestine.
The mass rapes
in Tabit in
Darfur had yet
to be followed
up on by the
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations,
whose chief Herve
Ladsous
refused Press
questions,
here,
unlike Barros.
On
the rapes, the
Ambassadors of
the UK
and Lithuania
replied to
Inner City
Press that
they are raising
the issue to
DPKO, in
consultations.
Will this bear
fruit in
February?
Barros himself
held six
stakeouts,
each time
agreeing to
take questions
even if
slightly off
camera;
Heraldo Munoz
held another
on January 15,
for a Chilean
total of
seven.
There
were two
meetings on
Ukraine, and
one on Lebanon
which a full
day later had
yet to produce
even a press
statement. One
Ambassador at
the end of
presidency
reception
complained to
Inner City
Press that the
killing of
peacekeepers
should always
result in such
a Statement,
"no matter who
is
responsible."
Because
we have
reviewed other
End of
Presidency
reception,
we'll review
this one,
complete with
ceviche on
plantains,
sliders and
one of
Ladsous'
predecessors,
Jean-Marie
Guehenno. He
was once quoted
urging the UN
to do more
about cholera
in Haiti -
the failure to
raise this
issue during
the Council's
visit to Port
au Prince and
Cap Haitien is
still to be
explained.
There
are not enough
media
questions like
this; the head of the
old UN
Correspondents
Association,
unquestioning
receptor, was
seen hailing a
taxi for the
less than ten
block trip to
the River
Club. What's
next, an UNCA
faux
UN briefing on
climate
change? But
that's another
story. For
now, hats off
to Chile, from
which we hope
to hear more
throughout
this year.
, 
