UNITED
NATIONS, April
22 -- The
draft
resolution on
the UN's
MINURSO
mission
in Western
Sahara is
penciled in
for a vote on
April 25.
But on the
morning of
April 22,
along with
saying that
the
negotiations
are
bilateral
between
Morocco and
the US,
French
Permanent
Representative
Gerard Araud
pointed out
the real
deadline is
the end of the
month,
when the
mission's
mandate
expires.
But
will human
rights
monitoring be
added to the
mandates, as
it is in
nearly all
other UN
Peacekeeping
missions'
mandates?
The
African
Union, in the
letter
Inner City
Press obtained
and published,
wants it in. So does
POLISARIO, not
surprisingly.
And,
surprising to
some, the
United States
wants or
wanted it in.
We
included the
two terses of
the verb
becauase, at
least at the
end of
Monday's
consultations,
things did not
look good. A
country one
would expect
to be in favor
of adding
right
monitoring to
the mandate
told Inner
City Press
that “Morocco
is totally
opposed.”
So
what? There
have been
resolutions
passed 14-1,
or by lower
numbers as
long as French
does not, as
some report it
has vowed not
to, veto the
resolution.
But
the argument
seems to be
that with
Morocco so
vehemently
opposed, to
include mere
monitoring
would inflame
the situation.
This type of
deference is
not taken to
other
countries with
peacekeeping
missions
in or beside
their
territory. So
why here?
Unless
the Council is
addicted to
consensus,
cannot bear a
14-1 or 13-2
vote, why
should it
matter so much
that Morocco
is on the
Security
Council in
2013, as the
second of its
two year term?
And
if this is the
argument, and
rights
monitoring
might be added
in 2014
once Morocco's
off the
Council, what
is supposed to
happen this
year?
On the other
hand, even the
delegation
referred to
above told
Inner City
Press that it
is its view
that the
promised
referendum
must be held.
But will it
be?
Meanwhile
a
reader points
out, in terms
of the
complaints
about Ban
Ki-moon's
UN's disregard
of the illegal
exploitation
of Western
Sahara's
natural
resources,
that the UN's
Code for Trade
and
Transportation
Locations
includes
Western Sahara
in Morocco.
http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/cefact/locode/ma.htm
AAnd
what
of the MINURSO
license
plates? Watch
this site.
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