At
UN, Eritrea in
Line for
ACABQ,
Botswana Aims
to Keep It,
Kenya to
Jump In?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 7 --
One of the few
overseers of
the UN's murky
spending is
its Advisory
Committee on
Administrative
and Budgetary
Questions or
ACABQ. The
chairman has
been Collen
Kelapile of
Botswana,
often found at
seven pm or
later in the
North Lawn
building, well
versed in the
nitty gritty
of the UN's
budget.
But
now, based on
the system of
rotation in
place at the
UN, Kelapile
faces
replacement,
by an
Eritrean.
Inner
City Press has
confirmed with
the Eritrean
mission that
they have the
endorsement
not only of
the African
Union or also
the "East
Africans."
Other sources
say that
Botswana and
southern
Africa
are arguing,
why give up
seniority and
the
chairmanship
for this mere
rotation?
Eritrea
replies
that it gave
up claims on a
vice
presidency of
the General
Assembly.
Others say
Kenya, seeing
the split,
aims to jump
into the
fray, arguing
that a country
under
sanctions like
Eritrea is not
well
placed to head
ACABQ.
This
is the way
that wheeling
and dealing is
done at the
UN, and why so
much escapes
oversight.
Watch this
site.
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