As
Uruguay
Apologizes to
Haiti UN
Won't, Denies
Pollution,
Cholera, Sex
Abuse
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 7 --
Even as
Uruguay
apologized for
abuse in
Haiti, the UN
remained in
denial on
September 7,
not only
despite
video of abuse,
but also
photos of
dumping of
garbage and
sewage.
On
September 6
Inner City
Press had
asked the UN
about sexual
abuse in
Haiti, to
which the UN
corrected its
response on
September 7,
as well as
post-hoc
adding a
correction of
its statement
it is still
investigating
if it spread
cholera to
Haiti.
From
the UN's
September 7
noon briefing
transcript:
UN
Deputy
Spokesman
Eduardo del
Buey: On the
allegations of
waste
disposal, the
Mission issued
a press
release in
this regard on
25 of
August. The
Mission has
denied that it
has disposed
of waste in
Hinche or
elsewhere in
the country.
MINUSTAH says
that the
Hinche
camp is
equipped with
a
waste-management
site; waste is
not
transported
out of the
camp.
Furthermore,
the Mission is
planning to
undertake
reviews of
military
installations
to ensure that
waste-management
practices are
in order.
But
there are
photos
of the
dumping, on
the Internet:
click
here.
Inner
City Press
then asked del
Buey about
cholera:
Inner
City
Press: I
wanted to ask
you something
on, on Haiti.
I guess
first is that
there is an
editorial in
today’s New
York Times
about
cholera in
Haiti, which
says, you
know, that,
that this was
apparently
caused by
sewage from UN
peacekeepers.
And I just
wonder,
what is now
the UN’s
position on
how the
cholera in
Haiti
occurred?
Deputy
Spokesperson
del Buey:
Well, we are
in the process
of
investigating
and when we
have a
response we
will get back
to you on it.
Ladsous,
response to
Haiti abuse,
even presence
in NY, still
not shown
Then, without
having called
or e-mailed
Inner City
Press with any
supplemental
answer, del
Buey's or
ostensibly
Martin
Nesirky's
office added
into
the transcript
of the
briefing an
expansion:
[The
Deputy
Spokesperson
later noted
that an
Independent
Panel of
Experts
to investigate
the source of
the cholera
outbreak in
Haiti had been
established in
January and
that the Panel
submitted its
report to the
Secretary-General
in May.
Following the
submission of
the report,
the
Secretary-General
convened a
task force
within the UN
system
which is
studying the
findings and
recommendations
made by the
Independent
Panel of
Experts to
ensure prompt
and
appropriate
follow-up. The
Deputy
Spokesperson
also noted
that the Panel
concluded that
the Haiti
cholera
outbreak was
caused “by the
confluence of
circumstances
and was not
the fault of,
or deliberate
action of, a
group or
individual
person”. He
also said the
Secretary-General
had expressed
the continuing
commitment of
the
United Nations
to stand
shoulder to
shoulder with
the Government
and
people of
Haiti in the
ongoing fight
against the
cholera
epidemic,
which caused
significant
loss of life.]
Not
having heard
this spin, at
least on
Wednesday,
Inner City
Press asked
del Buey why
the UN hasn't
apologized:
Inner
City
Press: the
Uruguayans, at
very high
levels, have
actually now
offered their
apologies to
Haiti for the
incident,
whether it’s
the
incident of
sexual abuse,
whether it is
called rape of
otherwise, and
I wondered, is
that something
that the UN
either joins
them in? Do
you see that
as a positive
step? What’s
the UN’s
current
position as to
that incident,
filmed
incident?
Deputy
Spokesperson
del Buey:
Well, we see
the Uruguayan
response as
being
extremely
positive and
responsible as
a
troop-contributing
country,
and we welcome
their
participation,
active as it
has been in
the
investigation,
and their
commitment to
see the
investigation
through
to fruition.
The
video is
already out,
of at least
the threat of
rape. At a
troop
contributors'
meeting in
Montevideo,
Brazil is
moving to pull
out of Haiti,
as
others will.
Who will be
left? And how
much will this
UN's
stonewalling
have hurt
them? Watch
this site.
Footnote:
the
new head of
DPKO, Herve
Ladsous, the
ostensible
supervisor of
MINUSTAH, has
yet to appear
in UN
headquarters.
Inner City
Press has
learned how he
was selected:
watch this
site.
, 
in