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At UN, Tale of Two Dengs at Southern Sudan “Feel Good” Meeting with Ban, No Answers on Darfur

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, February 10 -- With the results of the Southern Sudan referendum now released, Salva Kiir has invited Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and many others to the formal declaration of independence this summer.

   On Thursday afternoon in his third floor office over the UN's North Lawn, Ban met with Deng Alor Kuol, Minister of Regional Cooperation of the Government of Southern Sudan. Ban was not alone: Francis Deng, his Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide among others was there.

  On Francis Deng's way in, Inner City Press asked him without answer if he is related to Deng Alor. Deng is a common name. Francis Deng previously told Inner City Press, in response to a question if he owns property in Sudan and Abyei, said that there are “many huts in Abyei” which could be said to be owned by his family.

None of this, however, is reflected in Francis Deng's purported Public Financial Disclosure. Ban on January 14 told the Press that 99% of his senior officials have made public financial disclosure. When Inner City Press showed this is not the case, Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky insisted that Ban had merely been using a metaphor.

Journalists downstairs in the UN, monitoring Mubarak's speech from Egypt and a live stakeout by Ehud Barak, who met with Ban before Deng, wanted to know what new name Southern Sudan will take on, and what its capital will be.

Upstairs in the meeting, one imagines that the future of the UN's billion dollar UNMIS peacekeeping mission should have been discussed. Afterward, one of the participants told Inner City Press it was a mere “feel good” meeting.

UN's Ban, one Deng at left hand, another across the table

Also having sat down for the meeting were Department of Peacekeeping Operations deputy Atul Khare of India. The minister of external affairs of India, S.M. Krishna, has arrived in New York; his Permanent Representative Hardeep Singh Puri will be holding another press conference about his program later on Thursday at the New York Palace Hotel.

As the Deng(s) photo op began, Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky admonished Inner City Press that “this is just a photo op, I'm watching you.” The reverse is also true: it's metaphorical. Watch this site.

  Nesirky at Thursday's noon briefing dodged questions from Inner City Press about the UN in Darfur:

Inner City Press: I wanted to ask about Sudan. There were reports that in the IDP [internally displaced persons] camps, including Hamadiya and Zalengei, that there is no, that food is no longer being distributed by WFP [World Food Programme] and the people inside the camp say that this was an attempt by the Government to disassemble the camps in this visit of this guy, Ghazi Salaheddine, who is in charge of the Darfur file for the Khartoum Government. First off, was the UN, is it a fact that food services in this IDP camp have stopped, and what is the UN going to do about it?

Spokesperson: Well, let’s ask our colleagues from the World Food Programme to let us know what the picture is there. And obviously, it is a clear priority for the United Nations to ensure that aid can be delivered to those people who need it.

Inner City Press: I actually had a follow-up. This guy, Ghazi Salaheddine, the Government Minister for Darfur, held a joint press conference with Ibrahim Gambari in which they announced a partnership, and Mr. Gambari said he was very positive. So what I was, I guess, trying to say is that people in Darfur say it was the visit of this minister that led to this suspension of services to IDPs. I wanted, I guess, some explanation of what it is that Mr. Gambari is finding so positive in the visit of this minister, the announced intention to “Darfurize” the peace process, which most people in the IDP camps are protesting. What… how do you explain Mr. Gambari’s positive statements in light of the reports of continued fighting, bombing and dislocation?

Spokesperson: I’d like to take a closer look at precisely what Mr. Gambari said, firstly, and secondly, as I already mentioned to you, I am sure our colleagues from the World Food Program can give us some details on precisely what is happening on the ground.