UN
to Get
Peacekeeping
Advice from
Alleged War
Criminal, Says
Ban Powerless
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 30 --
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon cannot
or
will not do or
say anything
to stop
alleged war
criminal
Shavendra
Silva from
serving on
Senior
Advisory Group
on
Peacekeeping
Operation, Ban
spokesperson
Martin Nesirky
answered Inner
City Press
on January 30.
Acts
of Shavendra
Silva's
battalion in
2009 are
described in
the UN's
own Panel of
Experts report
on Sri Lanka
-- for example
in paragraphs
73, 90 and
171, shelling
hospitals and
killing those
seeking to
surrender --
and lawsuits
have been
filed against
Silva for war
crimes. In September 2011,
Inner City
Press asked
Silva about
them, click
here for that
story.
Isn't Ban at
least
concerned
about how
it makes
his UN look,
making Sri
Lanka's Silva
an adviser on
peacekeeping,
including in
light of the
UN's failure
to report any
discipline of
Sri Lankan
"peacekeepers"
repatriated
from Haiti
after
being charged
with sex with
underage
girls?
At
Monday's UN
noon briefing,
Nesirky told
Inner City
Press to ask
the Asia group
about Silva's
nomination to
the Advisory
Group, and to
ask Silva's
Sri Lankan
mission if the
more than 100
repatriated
soldiers were
ever
disciplined.
Far from a UN
of
accountability,
this seems to
some
to be nothing
but passing
the buck. We
have asked
others and aim
to have more
on this.
Ban greets
Silva - did
Asia Group
make Ban do
it? (c) MRLee
From
the UN's
transcript
of its January
30 noon
briefing:
Inner
City
Press: on
Saturday, I
got an answer
from your
office [on]
Mr.
Shavendra
Silva, whose
battalion is
named in the
Secretary-General’s
report on Sri
Lanka, was
called an
alleged war
criminal... is
there
any
discretion,
number one, on
the
Secretary-General’s
part in
terms of
accepting a
regional
group’s
nominee to
his, to Ban
Ki-moon’s
Senior
Advisory Group
on
Peacekeeping
Operations if
there
are these
charges
pending? And
whether or not
that is the
case, I
have asked you
before, but
whether the UN
can state
whatever
happened
to the Sri
Lankan
peacekeepers
that were
repatriated
from Haiti
after
charges of sex
with underage
girls, were
they
disciplined,
this also
going to the
question of
whether taking
advice from
Shavendra
Silva
is a good idea
for the UN’s
credibility?
Spokesperson
Martin
Nesirky: Well,
on the latter
point, I think
that’s
something that
you need to
check with the
Sri Lankan
authorities.
On
the first
point, the
answer to your
question was
in the answer
you
received. It
is simply the
case that the
General
Assembly
instructed
the
Secretary-General
to establish
this senior
adviser group,
and the
General
Assembly
stipulated
that the
membership
should
comprise five
representatives
nominated by
troop-contributing
countries,
five
nominated by
financial
contributors
and one
representative
named by
each of the
five regional
groups. And as
you well know,
this
particular
individual was
nominated by
the regional
group
concerned —
Asia. So the
General
Assembly
instructed the
Secretary-General
to
establish this
senior adviser
group. And so,
the
Secretary-General’s
responsibility
himself
relates to the
five eminent
persons that
he
was asked to
select
himself, and
that does not
include the
person you
have
mentioned. The
person you
have mentioned
was nominated,
selected, by
the regional
group, and
that’s fully
in line with
the
General
Assembly
resolution
that covers
this.
Inner
City
Press: does
the
Secretary-General
have any views
of having as
an
adviser the
individual
named in his
own report,
did he like
the idea,
for example,
of Syria being
denied a seat
on the Human
Rights Council
given the
issues raised,
does he think
it is good for
the UN’s
reputation and
credibility
that automatic
and clean
slates or
referrals like
this? Does he
have any
comment at all
or is he going
to accept it
and it is
going to go
forward?
Spokesperson:
Well…
Inner
City
Press: I
understand
what he said,
I just…
Spokesperson:
Well,
evidently not
because it is
a matter for
Member States.
And I
think that
you’re
knocking at
the wrong
door. If you
have the view
or you are
conveying the
view that
you’ve just
expressed…
Inner
City
Press: Many
say so.
Spokesperson:
Well, yeah,
they may do,
but many — if
that’s the
case — would
need to
address it to
the Member
States in the
General
Assembly,
because if
there is a
resolution
from the
General
Assembly, the
Secretary-General
needs to carry
out that
mandate. It is
as simple
as that. And
as you well
know, the five
people
nominated by
the
Secretary-General
do not include
the person
that you have
mentioned.
That person
was selected
by the Asia
Group of
countries. And
I think
you would
perhaps need
to mention it
to them. It is
a general
point
that — and to
come back to
the point you
raised about
the other
areas,
including
Syria and the
Human Rights
Council — this
is
something for
the Member
States, they
decide that.
It is not for
the
Secretary-General
to decide.
Yes?
, 
