UNITED
NATIONS, March
27 -- The plan
for a
“parallel”
French force
to
rule Mali,
alongside a
Mission of UN
Peacekeeping
which is
headed by
the fourth
Frenchman in a
row, Herve
Ladsous, shows
how riddled
with
conflicts of
interest and
vestiges of
colonialism
the UN has
become.
Later
today the UN
Security
Council will
be briefed on
the plan, with
a
vote slated
for April.
As
Inner City
Press reported
on March 25,
France which
also “holds
the
pen” of the
Council on the
failed former
(?) colony of
the Central
African
Republic
opposed
following on
CAR an African
Union
Communique
listing seven
Seleka and
rebel leaders,
including
Seleka's Paris
based
spokesman, for
a travel ban
and asset
freeze.
Because
who knows
better what's
right for
Africa than
France?
The
parallel UN
and French
force proposed
for Mali by
Ladsous' DPKO
is
reminiscent of
what France
obtained in
Cote d'Ivoire,
with the Force
Licorne
running -- in
short shorts
-- alongside
the UN Mission
which
it also
through DPKO
controlled.
Recently
Inner
City Press
asked Amnesty
International's
West Africa
expert to
assess the
performance on
human rights
and
accountability
in Cote
d'Ivoire, for
crimes
committed by
the side the
France favored
and
favors. AI
called it
appalling.
Why
think it would
be better in
Mali?
History
is
allowed to
repeat itself
in part
because of the
lazy and
craven
media coverage
of the UN and
its -- or
Ladsous' and
France's --
plans.
Take
for example
the Reuters story
by Michelle
Nichols and
Louis
Charbonneau.
It consists of
mere re-types
of the plan
“written by
Ban Ki-moon”
-- who
recently in
connection
with the launch
of Tom
Plate's book
of breezy
conversations
admitted
writing very
very
little. There
is
no analysis,
much less of
any conflict
of interest
by France.
Charbonneau,
concerned UN reporter,
shakes
with Ban, Timermon
not shown
On
March 26,
Charbonneau of
Reuters was mocked
by Argentina's
foreign
minister
Timerman for
asking what he
clearly viewed
as a planted
UK
question
about the
Malvinas -- or
in Reuters'
speak,
Falkland --
Islands.
Did
Reuters
mention this?
Seems not. So
why did
Charbonneau go
and demand
the
first (and
failing that,
second)
question
at the press
conference
of four
ministers from
Latin America?
To
fly the limp
flag of UNCA,
the
UN Cowardice
Association
of which he is
first
vice president
and
Concerned UN
Reporter in
chief. At
least we can
say, not only
the UK
but also
France can be
channeled.
Watch this
site.
, 
