As
UNSC
Reconvenes,
Six Members
Head to Timor,
Qs of P5 and
Ladsous
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 31 --
After the UN Security
Council held a
short but
historic
meeting
Wednesday,
chased out of
its of its
normal
Chambers
by Hurricane
Sandy, it
emerged that
at least some
Council
diplomats
will head
November 1
halfway around
the world to
Timor Leste.
Earlier
in
October the
Security
Council
canceled or
postponed
planned trips
to Afghanistan
and Yemen,
both on safety
grounds. Timor
Leste is
considered
safer; in
fact, the UN
is about to
pull its
peacekeeping
mission out.
A
Council source
told Inner
City Press on
Wednesday,
"Seven were
supposed to go
but Moroccan
Perm Rep
Loulichki is
stuck. So it's
only
six, and none
of the
Permanent
Five."
The
head of UN
Peacekeeping
Herve Ladsous
alluded
recently to
the close
down of this
mission. "I
don't know why
he refuses
to answer
Press
questions,"
one of the
diplomats
said, echoing
another.
"It just makes
Ladsous look
unprofessional."
During
the
meeting
Wednesday the
Security
Council
extended the
mandate of
the Somalia
mission for
seven days,
putting off
more
substantive
decisions.
Outgoing
Council
president Gert
Rosenthal of
Guatemala
read out a
long
Presidential
Statement on
Women, Peace
and Security.
The head of UN
Women, Under
Secretary
General
Bachelet, was
on the
podium but did
not give a
speech.
Also
in the room
was Under
Secretary
General for
Safety and
Security Greg
Starr. Outside
in the North
Lawn building
hall was USG
Yukio Takasu,
the head of
Management.
Both will
address the
press on
Thursday at 2
pm. Watch this
site.
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