On
Children &
War, Ban
Refuses Qs,
ICP Asks of
CAR Rapes,
Zerrougui
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
series
UNITED
NATIONS, June
18 -- After UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon
decided not to
list Israel or
Hamas in the
annex of his
Children and
Armed Conflict
report -- nor
the French
troops alleged
to have raped
children in
the Central
African
Republic -- on
June 18 Ban
came to the UN
Security
Council media
stakeout,
accompanied by
CAAC expert
Leila
Zerrougui. He
left it to her
to answer.
After Ban read
a statement
about climate
change and
then the
"controversy"
about his
report, he
said he had to
leave. There
were some
grumbles;
Inner City
Press asked,
about the
Central
African
Republic rapes
and cover up,
what about the
Panel? Ban did
not answer.
Periscope
video for now
here.
Zerrougui
stayed,
gamely; she
declined to
answer about
the
non-inclusion
of Israel.
Inner City
Press asked
her about the
CAR rapes and
cover up. She
said while she
didn't find
out all in
time, once she
did, she spoke
with the
government
concerned.
Inner City
Press reported
exclusively
that Zerrougui
met French
Ambassador
Francois
Delattre --
his Mission
declined to
confirm or
deny, when
asked in
writing by
Inner City
Press - but
what has come
of it? Watch
this site.
Sources tell
Inner City
Press that
Zerrougui is
slated to be
leaving her
post, to one
at the African
Union. Cynics
told Inner
City Press
that's why she
went
semi-public
with her
recommendation,
which Ban
ignored.
Supporters
said she
should stay
and fight.
We'll see.
And what of
the CAR rapes
by the French
troops? They
are mentioned
in the text of
the report,
but not in the
Annex. Ban
said a Panel
would be set
up- but hasn't
yet done it.
Inner
City Press is
exclusively
informed that
concerned
member states
will meet not
with Ban but
his Deputy Jan
Eliasson on
June 19. Some
are concerned
Ban might even
try to put
Eliasson on
the
"independent"
panel, despite
controversy
about an
August 8, 2014
email saying
Eliasson would
be briefed
that afternoon
about the CAR
rapes. (The UN
now says
Eliasson
didn't learn
of them until
April
2015.)
We'll see.
, 
