Colombia
Offers Troops
to UN, Which
Makes Rights
Claims, 22
Police in
Haiti
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 29 --
When UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon met on
January 26
with
Colombia's
Defense
Minister Juan
Carlos Pinzón
Bueno, Inner
City Press had
heard it
concerned
Colombian UN
peacekeepers.
So Inner City
Press went up
to the UN's
38th floor for
the photo
opportunity,
here,
which followed
similar
sessions
between Ban
and Israeli
President
Rivlin and
Swedish
Foreign
Minister
Wallstrom.
For the latter
two, the UN
issued
read-outs that
same day. But
not for the
Colombia
meeting. So at
the January 28
UN noon
briefing Inner
City Press
asked for one.
Later in the
afternoon,
this was sent
out:
“The
Secretary-General
met on Monday,
26 January,
with H.E. Mr.
Juan Carlos
Pinzón Bueno,
Minister of
Defense of
Colombia. They
discussed
Colombia's
support to
United Nations
peacekeeping
operations,
including to
the United
Nations
Stabilization
Mission in
Haiti
(MINUSTAH).
The
Secretary-General
commended
Colombia for
its commitment
and welcomed
future
collaboration
in this area.
“The
Secretary-General
also commended
the progress
made in the
Colombian
peace talks
and reiterated
the
Organization's
support to
this process,
which is
critical to
bring peace
and stability
to the people
of Colombia.”
The phrase
“including to
MINUSTAH,”
seemed strange
-- that is the
only
peacekeeping
mission in
which Colombia
has personnel,
not
peacekeeping
troops but
rather 22
police.
Inner City
Press look
further into
it and finds
that while a
Memorandum of
Understanding
was signed --
the Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations'
Edmond Mulet
and not Herve
Ladsous was
present at the
photo op on
January 26,
but apparently
Ladsous
signed,
typically off
camera --
actual
contribution
and deployment
of
peacekeeping
troops from
Colombia will
require action
by that
country's
legislature,
at earliest in
March.
The deployment
of the 22
police to
MINUSTAH in
Haiti
apparently did
not require
legislative
approval,
although UN
police in
Haiti
generally have
weapons and
have used them
-- see story
here for an
investigation
not yet public.
Inner City
Press asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric in
more detail
about this at
the January 29
noon briefing.
Dujarric said
he had an
answer but
couldn't find
it and would
send it out
later.
Three hours
later, this
was sent out:
"In
response to
questions at
today’s Noon
Briefing about
Colombia’s
potential
participation
in UN
peacekeeping
operations,
the Spokesman
has the
following
response:
"This past
Monday, the
United Nations
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations
signed a
pre-agreement
with the
government of
Colombia,
paving the way
to the
country's
participation,
as a potential
troop
contributor,
in UN
peacekeeping
operations.
This
pre-agreement
is the first
step in a
well-established
process.
"The
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations
welcomes the
signing of
this
pre-agreement,
congratulates
Colombia for
its
willingness to
join the
peacekeeping
partnership,
and looks
forward to
reaching a
full and
formal
agreement that
will includes
all relevant
UN policies
and practices;
including in
relation to
human rights
screening of
Colombian
soldiers and
officers to be
deployed in
peacekeeping
missions."
There - was
that so
difficult?
Watch this
site.
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