On
Abyei, Rice
Complains of
Blocked Visas,
Sudan Says
"Ethiopians
Only"
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 9 --
Abyei was the
subject of a
UN Security
Council
closed door
meeting
Thursday.
Afterward
Inner City
Press spoke
exclusively
with
Ambassadors
Susan Rice of
the US,
Daffa-Alla
Elhag
Ali Osman of
Sudan and
David Choat of
South Sudan,
hearing quite
different
stories.
Ambassador
Rice
began by
saying there
remain
problems with
"the
government"
of Sudan
"preventing
visa." Inner
City Press
asked if the
UNIFSA mission
has a human
rights
components.
Rice answered
that the
Council was
briefed that
the government
was "open
to one;" but
Daffa-Alla
Elhag Ali
Osman said
this was not
an
authorized
statement.
Daffa-Alla
Elhag
Ali Osman went
further,
telling Inner
City Press
that he was
told
yesterday by a
member of the
UN panel on
Darfur
sanctions that
when
the member
asked for
access to
South Sudan to
check on
Khartoum's
allegation
that the
Justice and
Equality
Movement
rebels had
entered
South Sudan
with weapons
from the
collapsed
Gaddafi
government of
Libya, "the
government of
South Sudan
blocked me and
didn't give
me access."
David
Choat, when
Inner City
Press asked
about this,
challenged
Daffa alla to
name
which South
Sudan ministry
or minister
had denied
access. Choat
said
that the Sudan
Armed Forces
is still
present in
Abyei, and
that this
prevents the
return of
internally
displaced
people
currently on
the
South Sudan
side.
He said that
from South
Sudan, only
police remain,
waiting to be
part of the
Abyei
administration.
Daffa-Alla
Elhag
Ali Osman
emphasized
that of
UNISFA's
authorization
of 4200,
already
3800 are
there. Inner
City Press
asked if these
are all
Ethiopians,
and Daffa-Alla
Elhag Ali
Osman said
yes, "all of
them are
Ethiopians.".
He said,
"those who are
talking about
visas
are giving
wrong
messages. We
and the other
parties agreed
that the
component
should be
exclusively
Ethiopian."
So whatever
happened
to the talk of
human rights
monitoring and
a civilian
component?
Choat said,
"the troops
are Ethiopians
but there
should also
be"
internationals
in the
civilian
component.
(c) UN Photo
Rice & EU
3 in Wau,
non-Ethopians
in Abyei not
seen
UN
Peacekeeping's
Edmond Mulet
came out, and
Inner City
Press asked if
there was yet
a
Status of
Forces
Agreement for
UNISFA.
Mulet said it
is still being
negotiated,
with both
North and
South Sudan.
Daffa-Alla
Elhag Ali
Osman didn't
disagree,
calling the
SOFA "a little
thing"
but saying
that under the
CPA, "Abyei
until and
unless final
settlement is
reached is in
the North."
Inner
City Press
asked again
about the
incident in
which four
Ethiopian
peacekeepers
bled out after
landmine
injuries,
unable to get
medevac to Wau
in
South Sudan.
Daffa-Alla
Elhag Ali
Osman said
that
permission was
given in two
hours in that
case, "and it
was a
holiday."
There is the
still murky
issue in South
Sudan of how
long the UN
knew
it had no
military
helicopters
before the
lack played a
role in
failing to
protect
civilians from
"hundreds" of
deaths in
Pibor in
Jonglei state
-- but that's
another story,
as is the
strike by
national staff
at UNMISS, on
which Inner
City Press has
asked for the
UN side. Watch
this site.
Footnote:
While
the Abyei
consultations
and then these
interviews
went on,
several Deputy
Permanent
Representatives
met to thrash
out a
statement
based on
Humanitarian
Valerie Amos'
briefing of
January 17.
Sources tell
Inner City
Press the
sticking
points concern
referring
to government
restrictions
on aid, and
SPLM-North
complying with
commitments.
We'll see.
, 
