For
UN
Peacekeeping
Post, How
Ladsous
Replaced
Bonnafont, Who
Now Returns
Favor Under
Juppe,
Alliot-Marie
Role?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 10
-- The UN's
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations
remains at
partially
headless in
the midst of mounting
scandals of
sexual abuse
in Haiti,
and inaction
in Sudan.
After
leading the
top DPKO post
empty for four
weeks after
the departure
of Alain Le
Roy, on
September 2
the UN
announced his
replacement.
It was not
fellow
Frenchman Jerome
Bonnafont, who
had bragged
that he had
the
job to
diplomats in
India
where he's
been French
Ambassador,
and been congratulated
by, among
others, French
politician
Jean-Marie
Bockel, click
here for that.
Rather
it was the
French
Foreign
Ministry's
chief of staff
Herve Ladsous,
who headed
the staff not
only Alain
Juppe but also
his
predecessor
Michele
Alliot-Marie,
who resigned
after being
exposed
receiving
gifts from
now deposed
Tunisia
dictator Ben
Ali.
Ladsous'
role in
that is not
yet clear,
even as his
statements in
2004 pushing
for the
ouster of
elected
president
Jean-Bertrand
Aristide
come into
focus in
Haiti. Others
of Ladsous
statements are
starting to be
reviewed, as
it
appears the UN
in their rush
did not do.
Meanwhile,
tellingly, Bonnafont
has been named
to replace
Ladsous as
chief of staff
to Alain
Juppe.
Well
placed UN
sources have
informed Inner
City Press how
Bonnafont was
passed over at
the last
minute for
Ladsous. These
sources say
that UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon likes
his cabinet
members even
lower
key than he
is, like his Deputy,
and Lynn
Pascoe in the
Department of
Political
Affairs.
Bonnafont
was
viewed,
ironically, as
too energetic.
His bragging
about having
the
job, first
reported by
Inner City
Press, was
also not
helpful.
So,
the sources
say, Ban told
the French to
propose
another
candidate.
Miffed,
Ladsous was
proffered as
"the one," and
was quickly
given the
post, without
word reaching
many in the
French foreign
service
outside of
Paris.
Ladsous,
Bonnafont and
rushed
selection
process now
shown
Kofi Annan
"gave" DPKO to
France as part
of being
Secretary
General. From
Jean-Marie
Guehenno the
post went to
Alain Le Roy
and now to the
third
Frenchman in a
row.
Owning UN
Peacekeeping
is useful to
France: just
this week in
Paris, Nicolas
Sarkozy
bragged of his
country's
military
action in Cote
d'Ivoire as
well as Libya.
As reflected
in documents
exclusively
obtained and
published
by Inner City
Press, France
has no problem
using DPKO to
advance its
economic
interests, click here for
examples.
It
is noticeable
that even
after Ladsous
was named,
after the post
was empty for
a
month, Ladsous
has still not
reported to
work. He
continued as
chief
of staff to
Alain Juppe.
And
now Ladsous'
replacement
has been named.
Who is it? Jerome
Bonnafont, of
course.
Plus
ca change,
plus c'est la
meme chose.
Watch this
site.
, 
in