By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 14 --
When the UN
Security
Council's
closed-door
meeting about
Abyei ended on
October 7, UN
Peacekeeping's
Edmond
Mulet
walked briskly
out and to the
elevator.
A Sudanese
diplomat raced
after him,
catching him
before the
elevator door
closed and
speaking for a
minute. The
diplomat told
Inner City
Press there
are “issues”
on the
ostensibly
non-controversial
technical
roll-over of
the mandate of
the UN mission
in Abyei,
UNISFA.
The mandate
was unanimously
extended a
week later on
October 14,
after behind
the scenes
griping that,
unlike on also
unanimous Haiti
mandate extension
on October 14,
did not give
rise to
explanation of
vote by any
Council
member.
(South Sudan
Permanent
Representative
and former UN
official
Francis Deng
said that
those pushing
to recognition
of the Dinka's
unilateral
referendum in
Abyei "might"
be sitting
behind him.)
Inner
City Press
spoke with a
number of
Security
Council
members and
learned one
issue was this
unilateralism
--
specifically,
the Dinka held
their own
unilateral
referendum,
and now the
Sudanese want
to include
Abyei in their
own elections.
At
least two
Council members
said behind
closed doors
that Sudan is
within its
rights on
this, and
others agreed
afterward. But
it was said
such inclusion
would fan
tensions --
all this
behind closed
doors.
The
October 7
Abyei meeting,
and a meeting
earlier that
day on the
tail end of
the Syria
chemical
weapons
mission, were
both behind
closed doors.
This is when
the Free
UN Coalition
for Access
has asked that
Council
president's
hold question
and answer
stakeouts. It
did not happen
on October 7,
and there were
no
explanations
of vote on
October 14.
At the October
7 noon
briefing when
FUNCA asked,
UN Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric said
his Office was
to blame for
the lack
of notice to
the press of
October's UNSC
President's
read-out at
the UNTV
stakeout
of multiple
press
statements.
Issues sail
through in
this fashion.
We'll have
more on this.
, 
