In
UNISFA Draft,
Sudan Blames
Juba on Visas,
Claims It
Prevails on
Abyei, Others
Disagree
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 15, updated
-- With the
mandate of the
UN
peacekeeping
mission in
Abyei, UNISFA,
set to expire
on November
17, Sudan on
November 13
wrote to the
UN Security
Concil saying
its renewal
resolution
should not
support or
welcome the
African Union
Peace and
Security
Council's
October 24
decision and
Communique on
the status
of Abyei,
since an extra
six weeks had
been given.
Inner
City Press exclusively
obtained
and published
Sudan's letter
on its beta
Google+ site,
and
asked,
"one senses he
US behind this
and the visa
proposed
language --
will they
agree to
remove it?"
The
answer,
according to
Sudan, is that
the US did
agree to drop
the
support of the
Abyei
decision,
switching it
only to
"recalling"
the Communique
in a final
draft
resolution
which, under
silence until
2:30 pm on
Thursday, went
"into blue"
for adoption.
Inner City
Press has
obtained and
is publishing
this draft,
here.
Update:
Others tell
Inner City
Press that
"recalling" is
enough,
putting Sudan
on notice that
after the six
weeks, an
outcome could
be imposed.
We'll have
more on this.
On
the
above-reference
visa issue,
Sudan opposed
a reference to
"prejudice to
nationality."
Sudan said it
does not
discriminate
by nationality
in issuing
visas to UN
personnel.
After
publishing the
letter, Inner
City Press
asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
if this is
true.
On
November 14
the following
came back: "On
your question
about
Abyei, the
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations is
not aware of
any
distinction of
nationality in
granting of
visas by the
Government of
Sudan."
Now,
sources say
talk in the
Council was
that South
Sudan has
blocked some
visas for
staff from
"Arab and even
some African"
countries.
With
the US
expending UN
political
capital, to
say the least,
on the Gaza
issue, some
might say it
backed down to
Sudan on the
issue of
Abyei.
Since others
don't speak,
we will try to
ask the
principal.
Watch
this site.
Footnote:
when
Inner City
Press asked
about Abyei
and visas on
November 13,
spokesman
Nesirky said
he would check
- and then
added that a
UNISFA
peacekeeper
"succumbed to
his injuries"
-- that is,
was
killed -- in a
protest by the
Dinka in
Abyei. It
seemed to some
that
DPKO should
have announced
this, even
before a
question.
Inner
City Press put
the question
to DPKO chief
Herve Ladsous
as he left
the Security
Council on
November 14:
did a UN
peacekeeper
shoot and
kill a
national staff
member in
Abyei?
Ladsous
looked, but
did not
offer any
answer at all.
His
predecessors
Alain Le Roy
and Jean-Marie
Guehenno would
always answer
such a
question, if
only to say,
as Nesirky
did, that it's
under
investigation.
But
this UN is in
decline: Ladsous
had said he
won't answer
any Press
questions,
even about
killings by or
of his
peacekeepers,
due
to some
"insulting
innuendo."
It's all
actually quite
factual (click
here) --
and
explaining
DPKO's actions
is part of
Ladsous' job.
Watch this
site.
, 
