By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 8 --
On Central
African
Republic on
January 6 some
noted that UN
Department of
Political
Affairs chief
Jeffrey
Feltman
avoided directly
answering on
France's lack
of
impartiality
in its
intervention
in its former
colony.
Feltman seemed
to focus on
the UN's role
on humanitarian
issues -- even
on that, the
UN has been
subject to
scathing
criticism from
Doctors
Without
Borders --
while leaving
the finding of
a political
solution to
others.
Today, Reuters
quotes three
French officials,
two named and
one unnamed,
opining about
who should
lead CAR,
including, "Djotodia
and us, it's
not a love
story. The
quicker he
goes, the
better things
will be. We
are making do
with him and
holding him
back."
And yet
Reuters, now
the colonial
news wire, did
not mention
FrancAfrique or
this colonial
relationship,
whether such
picking of
leaders from
outside like
France did
with Ahmad al
Jarba in
Syria, is
appropriate.
This is, to
some, "the
international
community."
Back on January
6 as the
Central
African
Republic
consultations
of the UN
Security
Council
stretched past
6 pm,
Permanent
Representatives
then even
Deputy
Permanent
Representatives
left, even as
new Council
member
Lithuania
spoke.
One
departing
diplomat told
Inner City
Press that US
Ambassador
Samantha Power
"gave a moving
speech" but "it's
not longer a
time for
speeches but
action."
Inner
City Press
asked the
diplomat if
the sentiment
is to move to
a UN
peacekeeping
mission, or
stay with
MISCA (in
which
component
contingents
have fought
each other)
and the French
SANGARIS
force, accused
of disarming
the Seleka but
not
anti-balaka
militia.
The
answer was
UNclear. The
briefer was
the head of
the UN's
Department of
Political
Affairs,
Jeffrey
Feltman, whose
statement
during the
open meeting
said "this is
the first case
for the Secretary
General's
new Rights
Upfront
agenda." That
was the UN's
belated
reaction to
its own
systemic
failure during
the killing of
tens of
thousands of
civilians in
Sri Lanka in
2009.
But
last month
Doctors
Without
Borders
pilloried the
UN for not
protecting
civilians,
even inside
its own
compounds, and
for not
deploying
despite
requests to
Yaloke and
Bouca. UN
humanitarian
chief Valerie
Amos told
Inner City
Press she
was
"disappointed"
by MSF's
letter.
What would
Feltman say?
When finally
Feltman
emerged, Inner
City Press
asked him
about reports
of France
disarming the
Seleka, not
the
predominantly
Christian
anti-balaka.
Feltman
replied that a
"non-discriminatory
way" is
required, all
most be
disarmed. He
said more
coordination
is needed
between the
UN, France's
Sangaris, and
MISCA.
Moments
later, Inner
City Press
asked Jordan's
Permanent
Representative
Prince Zeid,
the president
of the
Security
Council for
January, about
perceived
(im)partiality.
He responded
that the
situation is
complex, as
African
members
pointed out,
and that he
and other new
Council
members had
material to
work through.
We'll see.
, 
