Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the Inner City to Wall Street to the United Nations

On Libya, Ban Envoy Khatib “Out of Touch” on New "Post Transition" Adviser Ian Martin

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 28, updated -- The UN's first envoy to Libya, Abdel-Elah Al-Khatib, was described Thursday by a Security Council member as “out of touch.” The Council diplomat told Inner City Press, “We want to see him in New York next week to hear what if anything he's been accomplishing.”

If the UN in New York doesn't know what Khatib's been doing, he likewise has been in the dark about developments in New York.

UN sources leak that Ian Martin, who as exclusively reported by Inner City Press was recently brought back into the UN Department of Political Affairs by DPA chief Lynn Pascoe to work on Libya, has now been named an Under Secretary General, advisor to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Libya.

This was done “behind Khatib's back,” as one source put it to Inner City Press, leading to resentment on the part of Khatib, who as reported is still a sitting Senator in Jordan, alongside his business interests. These conflicts, repeatedly raised by Inner City Press, have still not been addressed -- watch this site.

Ban & al-Khatib, Jordan pay and Ian Martin not shown, who's playing whom?

There is grumbling, too, inside DPA's Africa Division, that a “Brit” like Martin is brought it to lead up work on an African country. DPA's Africa Division staff largely support the African Union positions on Libya, and are complaining about Pascoe. Political Affairs, indeed.

After the Security Council's consultations Thursday on Libya, Russian Permanent Representative Vitaly Churkin told the Press he expressed concern that the coalition's actions and bombings might make the rebels less likely to negotiate a political solution.

On the other side, UK Permanent Representative Mark Lyall Grant told the media he had pushed those countries blocking the proposed new listings for Libya sanctions to remove those blocks. There are four such countries: Russia, China, India and, surprising to some, the US.

Inner City Press asked outgoing Council president Nestor Osorio of Colombia about the discussion of sanctions blocks in the consultations. He declined to answer, instead thanking the Press for its coverage over the course of the month.

While he said it was his last act as President, later on Thursday the Council during its retreat with Ban Ki-moon issued a pressless Press Statement on the bombing in Morocco.

Some speculate that Ban will tell the Council members during the retreat that he wants their support for a second term as Secretary General. Not only would trying to move this during the upcoming Presidency in May of Permanent Five member France be considered impolitic -- if Ban's management to date of Libya is an indication, there may be problems with and in five more years. Watch this site.

Update: At the UN noon briefing of April 29, Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky questions such as if Martin is an Under Secretary General, and if the phrase he used, "post transition," means "post Gaddafi."  Nesirky said he didn't know if Martin is a USG; he said that it is important to plan in advance. We'll see.