On
Abyei,
Khartoum
Opposes
"Siding with
S. Sudan,"
Says No Visa
Discrimination
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 13 --
Sudan's
diplomats
entered the UN
Security
Council Monday
evening, the
night before a
resolution on
Abyei had
been scheduled
for adoption.
They delivered
a letter about
the
peacekeeping
mission in
Abyei, UNISFA,
which Inner
City Press has
obtained
and is
publishing on
its beta
Google+ page,
here.
Sudan
has taken
issue with the
"zero draft"
on UNISFA,
opposing
for example a
reference to
"prejudice to
nationality."
Sudan says it
does not
discriminate
by nationality
in issuing
visas
to UN
personnel.
Inner
City Press
went to
Tuesday's UN
noon briefing
and asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Martin
Nesirky, does
Sudan
discriminate
by
nationality?
Nesirky said
he will check
- and then
added that a
UNISFA
peacekeeper
"succumbed to
his injuries"
-- that is,
was killed by
-- a protect
by the Dinka
in Abyei. It
seems to some
that DPKO
should have
announced
this, even
before a
question.
Back
during the
General Debate
in September,
Inner City
Press asked
chief
UN Peacekeeper
Herve Ladsous
"what is the
UN's role in
Abyei?"
Ladsous refused
to offer any
answer,
and has
refused to
answer any
Press
questions
since,
including on
protection of
civilians, and
of
peacekeepers.
Sudan's
other
objection
concerns a
reference to
the
recommendations
for the
final status
of Abyei
offered by the
AU Peace and
Security
Council
and the High
Level
Implementation
Panel led by
Thabo Mbeki.
Sudan
says since the
AUPSC has
given six
weeks for the
parties to
agree,
the proposed
reference
sides with
South Sudan.
One
senses the US
behind this
and the visa
proposed
language. Will
they
agree to
remove it?
Watch this
site.
, 
