At the
UN, Arms Trade Treaty Pitched, While UN Role in Congo Gold and Guns Is Murky
Byline:
Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
October 9 -- Proponents of a global arms trade treaty on Tuesday called it an
attempt to "harness private industry" and offer arms manufacturers legitimacy
and an even playing field. Last December the U.S. cast a negative vote against
the treaty's progress; Tuesday the proponents said they are reaching out,
including to the National Rifle Association. The specter or caricature of the UN
undermining the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution may be too tempting to
give up. Tuesday's event include stories from the field from UN military
advisors. Major-General Patrick Cammaert, until last February the UN's force
commander in Eastern Congo, described nearly disarming rebel general Laurent
Nkunda in November 2006, only to see him substantially re-armed a week later.
"The arms come in across the border from Uganda and Rwanda," he said. "We cannot
police the lakes. It's all about resources."
Inner
City Press asked Major-General Cammaert about the
allegations that some UN peacekeepers
traded in gold and gun in Eastern Congo.
"I never saw a report that proved that any of the continents traded gold for
weapons," he answered, very lawyerly. It has been reported that the UN's Office
of Internal Oversight Services found evidence of enabling of gold trading.
Major-General Cammaert said that "it's possible that out of 15,000 troops... one
or two bought a jewel." But the OIOS finding, reported by BBC, involves the use
of UN airstrips for gold traders to visit rebels and make large scale purchases.
Was the
split-off from Peacekeeping of a Division of Field Support something urged by
force commanders, or more in the nature of hype, Inner City Press asked
Major-General Cammaert. He shrugged and said, "It's done, now lets get on with
it." Major-General Cammaert said he'd like to offer his experience to the UN as
an advisor or in some other capacity. If DPKO's recent attempts to control the
flow the information is any guide, it may be that Major-General Cammaert is too
candid for the Department.
Maj.-Gen. Cammaert gives medals in
Kisangani, gold and guns not shown
Major-General Cammaert also repeated his criticism of European and North
American member states who "drive" the peacekeeping agenda nevertheless failing
to contribute troops. Inner City Press asked about reports, which it confirmed
later in the day, that Sudan will not accept any "Western" helicopter pilots.
"They won't allow night flying either," Major-General Cammaert said. "So then
many countries won't contribute troops, because they won't be able to extract
their wounded." And so it goes...
* * *
Click
here for a
Reuters
AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army.
Click
here
for an earlier
Reuters AlertNet
piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's
$200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund. Video
Analysis here
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UN Office: S-453A,
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Reporter's mobile
(and weekends): 718-716-3540
