Inner City Press -- Investigative Journalism from the United Nations

At UN Peacekeeping, Urge To Split and To Downplay in Haiti the Collateral Damage

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN

UNITED NATIONS, February 15 -- The UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations gave two press briefings at Headquarters on Thursday, one on background, the other mostly on the record. Explaining Ban Ki-moon's plan to split the agency in two, a senior UN official who had a part in writing the plan described a future in which a new Department of Field Support would do all procurement for peacekeeping, and even for other UN agencies. Inner City Press asked how this business plan differs from that of the UN Office of Project Services, which markets its procurement and other capabilities to UN agencies like UNDP and also to USAID. The official shot back that UNOPS doesn't do procurement for peacekeeping. But what about the other UN agencies for which the two would then be vying?

The proposal, to be distributed at six p.m. Thursday, Ban Ki-moon states "I intend to examine the possibility of establishing regional procurement offices to significantly enhance the procurement opportunities for development countries and economies in transition... I welcome the opportunity to discuss this and other aspects of this initiative in the current session of the General Assembly." Ban Ki-moon will be speaking before the GA on Friday about this proposed split, which one correspondent diagnosed as being primarily intended to create another Under Secretary General post to give out, to keep at least one more Member State satisfied.

Inner City Press asked if the locations or more detail about these regional opportunities might be dangled in the GA before decision on the split-up of DPKO is voted on. The official demurred. Asked if the proposal is responsive on the issues for which the U.S. General Accounting Office criticized the UN's peacekeeping procurement in April 2006, click here for that report, the official said that the change would address the issues.

The official was asked to describe how the changes, if enacted, would assist particular peacekeeping missions in the field. Two hours later, DPKO offered a media briefing in its 32nd floor Situation Room, with answers by its spokesperson in Haiti, David Wimhurst. Inner City Press followed up on SRSG Mulet's recent statement that when MINUSTAH become aware that it may have killed or injured a non-gang civilian, it makes disclosure to this effect. Inner City Press asked, Where are such disclosure made?

Haiti per MINUSTAH

The spokesman replied that it is difficult to investigate, that bodies are taken away, that supporters of former president Aristide are stoking up media disinformation in the United States. Inner City Press asked how large, in MINUSTAH's estimate, the February 7 pro-Aristide demonstrations were. "Fewer than a thousand people, in Port au Prince," the spokesman said.

In a burst of welcome candor, Mr. Wimhurt agreed to give on-the-record answers to several questions about the political dynamics of the UN Security Council in extending the MINISTAH mission, which was approved Thursday but, in response to concerns raised by China, for only eight months rather than the requested and recommended year. The spokesman noted that in September 2006, Haiti has sponsored a resolution in the General Assembly about security in Asia, specifically about the Taiwan Straits. While the resolution was not enacted, the spokesman said that China, based on its position on Taiwan, began to speak of vetoing the extension of MINISTA. He said that MINISTAH was involved in finessing and resolution the issue. Mr. David Wimhurst then went off-the-record, as to why Haiti might have sponsored the resolution. We'll have more on this.

At the UN, Happy Talk of Haiti and Hide-the-Ball on Casualties and the Taiwan Factor on MINUSTAH

UNITED NATIONS, January 29 -- The dynamic in Haiti, according to Ban Ki-moon's envoy Edmond Mulet, is of heroic and restrained peacekeeping troops, 80% of them from Latin America, confronting gangsters and bandits and practitioners of voodoo. At a UN press conference on Monday, Mr. Mulet said that everyone in Haiti supports the UN mission, which as he describes it is laying medieval siege to Cite Soleil and "squeezing, squeezing," until the gangsters are pushed out. Video here.

Inner City Press asked Mr. Mulet where, if anywhere, the UN mission acknowledges when civilians are killed during flurries of action in this siege. In response, Mr. Mulet gave assurance that such public acknowledgements are made. Afterwards Inner City Press asked his spokeswoman to provide direction to any such disclosures. "Check the mission's site," the spokeswoman said, adding that although she had no business card with her, this too could be found on the web site. The site is slow, only in French, and the press contact page is "en construction," click here to view. So much for acknowledgments.

What's lacking, too, is honesty and humility. Perhaps because Haiti faces such difficulties -- 65% of its governmental budgets comes from international sources -- Mr. Mulet appears to believe that he must peddle in wishful thinking and absolutes. No one in Haiti is a drug addict, he said. And, everyone supports us being there. But there have been demonstrations to try to hold MINUSTAH and its soldiers accountable. Demonstrations of gangsters, Mr. Mulet would say. Some wonder, is this type of demonization consistent with the UN Charter? And why is it that some UN envoys, like Mr. Mulet and envoy to Central African Republic Lamine Cisse, think their job is to come to UN headquarters and paint rosy or cartoon-like Polyanna pictures, whatever the situation on the ground? The incumbent Special Representatives of the Secretary General need to be evaluated and at least graded, if not changed. We'll have more on this in coming weeks.

A more balanced source, present at Monday's press conference but later requesting anonymity due to UN position, acknowledged that not all those who question MINUSTAH are gangsters, but added that since the kidnapping of a busload of children, more Haitians have accepted continued MINUSTAH presence as necessary, and better than the alternative, for now, if the UN were to leave. Many of the kidnappers, it is said, are Haitians returned from New York and Detroit, who do not speak Creole but rather English (this apparently is the testimony of some of those kidnapped and released). These are the nuances that provide a better justification for MINUSTAH than Mr. Mulet did, at least publicly.

Mr. Mulet also provided a private briefing for the Security Council. Afterwards, he declined to characterize the briefing. Inner City Press asked if the issue of Haiti's support for Taiwan had come up, as explaining China's reported moved to problematize the extension of MINUSTAH's mission. "You should ask the Security Council," Mr. Mulet said. And Inner City Press did, asked Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, Council president for two more days, if the issue of Taiwan came up in the Council. He said no, click here for video.

Afterwards another Council diplomat on condition of anonymity acknowledged that Taiwan is the elephant in the Security Council consultations room on Haiti, as it was recently on extended the Liberian diamond sanctions. The diamond issue concerned a move, or comment, by a Kimberly Process staffer in Brussels about perhaps allowing Taiwan into the Process. China opposes countries recognizing Taiwan, and Taiwan's inclusion in any international bodies, including, we're told, the UN press corps. For three months, NTD-TV was allowed in the UN, and then it was stopped. And this is no longer challenged or even discussed.

Perhaps with so much stilted silence, Mr. Mulet's rosy picture should not be a surprise. The question is whether Haiti and Haitians are best served by such partial pictures. Time alone will tell.

As Two UN Peacekeepers Are Killed, UN Says Haiti's Improving, Ban Ki-moon on Zimbabwe?

UNITED NATIONS, November 14 -- The UN says things are getting better in Haiti. Days after two UN peacekeepers from Jordon were shot and killed in Port-au-Prince, Inner City Press asked Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno to describe the level on conflict in Haiti. Mr. Guehenno advised to "look at the statistics, which I don't have at my fingertips today, but show that the number of violent acts per month has decreased." Inner City Press has been given, by the UN in Port-au-Prince, the following numbers for kidnappings in Haiti: June: 30; July: 55; August:78; September: 45; October: 27.

Mr. Guehenno called the two peacekeepers' deaths tragic and said they had been "returning from patrol" when they were "apparently shot at point blank range by..." His voice trailed off. Video here, from Minute 7:05.

When the UN's envoy to Haiti Edmond Mulet came to UN Headquarters in August, he did not speak with reporters. Since then, questions from Inner City Press about shooting by UN peacekeepers have been met with silence or inapposite information. In recent weeks, Inner City Press has asked the UN mission in Haiti to explain the shooting incidents, including the reported killing of three civilians. At first the UN responded with a description of an unrelated, non-lethal UN Day incident:

Here's what we have on the developments in Haiti: On UN Day and later in the week there were a number of anti-MINUSTAH demonstrations. It began with about 30 students, displaying anti-UN signs and chanting slogans protesting the presence of UN peacekeepers. Some of the demonstrators started to throw stones, breaking the windshield of two UN vehicles parked nearby. By that time, most guests had already left the ceremony. No one was injured.

Later in the afternoon, another group of more agitated demonstrators gathered in the vicinity of the Presidential Palace. Two UN Police vehicles and one UN minibus driving in the area were damaged after receiving stones. Four students were arrested by the Haitian National Police in connection with the incidents... On 27 October, UN peacekeepers reported that 400 people held a peaceful demonstration in the vicinity of Strong Point 16 and Avenue Soleil 9 in Cite Soleil to demand the departure of UN peacekeepers. At one point, some demonstrators tried to force their way into the Strong Point 16 but were prevented from doing so by MINUSTAH troops. The crowd dispersed at about 1:00 pm without incident. According to reports, a second demonstration of some 100 people was held simultaneously in the Drouillard area of Cite Soleil near Checkpoint 20. No incident was reported. As far as we know there were no casualties during any of these incidents, apart from damage inflicted on some of our vehicles.

This was in response to Inner City Press' inquiry about reports of three dead. Subsequently, an Inner City Press reader sent in this picture of demonstrations:

After Inner City Press asked a follow-up question about the shootings, from Port-au-Prince the following arrived:

Part of Minustah's mandate is to bring peace and stability across the country and in Port-au-Prince. As you know we are active in Cite Soleil as well as in many other such places in the capital. Just to give you an example, last Friday, we intervened with the national police (HNP) in order to neutralize armed men who had put together a road block and were firing at different targets inside Martissant, one of the capital's neighborhoods. Minustah's UNPOL (UN policemen) returned fire when they were attacked. The armed men stopped their action when additional Minustah soldiers arrived on location. One civilian was killed. One of our Senegalese policemen was injured during the incident. He was taken to the hospital where he was operated. Also, the following statistics might be of an interest to you. They represent the number of kidnapping incidents in the country :

One reading of these statistics is that the situation in October 2006 was as it had been in June. One hopes that going forward the UN puts updated numbers on its Haiti Mission web site and includes also the number of Haiti civilians killed...

A few inside-the-UN notes that we're compelled to include in this report, given the above-reproduced response from assistant spokesman Ari Gaitanis: he's headed to Lebanon, and it's said that his office will be given over to the spokeswoman for Ban Ki-moon, the incoming Secretary-General, Ms. Choi Soung-ah.

Speaking of Zimbabwe, at Tuesday's noon briefing, Inner City Press asked Kofi Annan's spokesman to respond to a statement Monday by biographer James Traub, that Annan deferred to South Africa's president Thabo Mbeki on human rights in Zimbabwe. Video here, at Minute 18. "I would have to look at the quote," responded Mr. Annan's spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Hey, it's in Traub's book, at page 409: "in fact, Annan conceded, Mbeki did nothing." Then what did Annan do?

Tuesday Inner City Press asked if Kofi Annan will be doing anything at all about Zimbabwe before he leaves at year's end. "I can't speak to that" today, his spokesman answered. Then when? The clock is ticking down, on the Kofi Annan decade.

Finally, an update on the November 10 Security Council meeting: the U.S. representative at the meeting, William J. Brencick, opposed sending a formal Council delegation to the Darfur meeting in Addis Ababa. Tuesday Inner City Press caught up with Mr. Brencick and asked, why?

"They tried to put the trip together in two to three days, instead of the two to three weeks required... There was no agreement on the terms of reference. Some thought it was a negotiating session with the Sudanese government. Others thought it would be to restate Resolution 1706. Our proposal, which the UK supported, was to send a small delegation. But Russia didn't accept this."

On Friday night outside the Council, a different story was told -- at least by Russia.

Inner City Press asked Mr. Brencick who else discouraged a formal Council trip to Addis, following reports that this was the Secretariat's advice.

"That's what the Presidency said," Mr. Brencick responded. So apparently Peruvian Ambassador Jorge Voto-Bernales, President of the Council for the month of November, has much more to say inside the Security Council than at the stakeout in the hallway outside it. Following Saturday's veto-punctuated Council meeting, Amb. Voto-Bernales did not stop to speak with reporters. And already the month is half over...

U.S. Blocked Council's Trip to Darfur Meeting, Brazzaville Envoy Explains After U.S. Casts a Veto

UNITED NATIONS, November 11 -- "He may be African, but we don't agree with him." So said the Ambassador of Congo-Brazzaville, Basile Ikouebe, about what he called Kofi Annan's attempt to undermine and replace the Security Council's now-cancelled trip to the African Union's meeting in Addis Ababa about Darfur. Annan "does not represent the African Union," Ambassador Ikouebe added.

Inner City Press had asked for clarification on which country or countries had blocked the Council's trip to Addis Ababa. "The United States," Amb. Ikouebe told Inner City Press. He continued: "We don't understand. We have received some signals that Sudan might accept deployment of our [UN] force. We had to go and discuss. We had eight delegations. We paid for our tickets and everything. Then, 'no, no, no,' by the United States."

Amb. Ikouebe spoke just after the U.S. vetoed the resolution on Israel and Palestine. "Why couldn't they agree to this condemnation?" Amb. Ikouebe mused, noting that the U.S. had asked for, and received, a vote to place Myanmar on the Council's agenda.

Observing the rare Saturday proceeding from the inside the Council chamber, one saw U.S. Ambassador John Bolton sitting alone in the run-up to the vote, with most other Ambassadors around him had conversations and exchanged greetings. Palestine's permanent observer shook hands with China's representative. In the audience sat, among others, the Ambassadors of Syria and of Sudan. When the meeting began, only the U.S.'s John Bolton asked to speak before the vote, in order to announce his no vote, which given the U.S.'s veto power in the Council made the rest of the proceedings effectively moot. Beyond the U.S. veto, four other countries abstain: Denmark, the UK, Japan and Slovakia.

When the meeting adjourned, Amb. Bolton strode to the stakeout microphone and said, "You have my statement. Any questions?" As reporters took out their pads and turned on their records, and at least two prepared questions about Sudan, and a wire service about Tuesday's vote and repercussions, Amb. Bolton said, "The press is silent?" Then he rushed away.

Perhaps it is not only the election that has caused this shift of mood. It has been floated that John Bolton could stay on, and continue to get paid. Another recess appointment would make payment impossible. But to become an advisor on UN affairs, then continue to serve as Ambassador because no replacement is ever named, might accomplish the same end. A sage of the stakeout's advice would be, whatever route this goes, don't become bitter -- or "go all North Korea," as one reporter quipped -- and more importantly, don't dissemble or leave unexplained positions and actions like those of Friday on Darfur and the aborted Addis meeting. If you're going to block it, explain it. We're still waiting.

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