As
ECOWAS
Backslides on
Mali, At UN A
Murky View of
Guinea Bissau
Plans
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 5 -- After
the coup
d'etats in
Mali and
Guinea Bissau,
there was talk
of fast troop
deployments by
the
neighboring
countries
in ECOWAS and
restoration of
democracy or
at least
scheduled
elections. Now
things do no
look so
certain.
Following
ECOWAS'
communique of
May 3, several
sources at the
UN in New York
told Inner
City Press
that ECOWAS
was "confused"
or even
"blowing
it." Inner
City Press is
putting
the English
version of the
Communique
online, here.
"What
happened
to democracy?"
an African
diplomat asked
Inner City
Press
rhetorically,
adding with
reference to
the Ivorian
President
favored over
resistant
Laurent
Gbagbo,
"wasn't that
what Outattara
was supposed
to be about?"
Alassane
Ouattara leads
ECOWAS and
chaired the
meeting for
the
Communique.
Another said
of Mali, "This
is what
[deposed
president] ATT
did in 1991,
take power and
push elections
back to use
the time to
show he was an
OK leader. But
why is ECOWAS
going along?"
With
a UN Security
Council
session on
Guinea Bissau
scheduled for
Monday, May 7,
it had
been said that
ECOWAS might
come at that
time and ask
for Council
support for
its moves in
Mali as well.
Now that is
not so sure,
even though
the May 3
Communique
says it will
be transmitted
to the "UN
Security
Council"
seeking
"support." (As
to Guinea
Bissau ECOWAS
refers only to
the
"assistance"
of the "UN
Organization,"
perhaps in
light of the
departing
Angolan
mission
MISSANG --
gone mission,
said one wag.)
One
non-Western
Council member
told Inner
City Press
that ECOWAS
"should have
come and said,
we are
considering
sending
troops, please
give us a
Chapter 7
resolution.
Now with their
announcements
it would be
stupid
to come at
this time."
UK
Permanent
Representative
Mark Lyall
Grant told
Inner City
Press that it
would
still be
"better" for
ECOWAS to come
to the
Security
Council, even
as he
acknowledged
it is a
confusing
situation.
Under
the new
Communique,
ECOWAS would
only send
troops if
requested by
the Malian
authorities.
Meanwhile in
the north of
Mali, those
who've taken
over
blasted open
bank vaults in
Gao, while
Niger may now
also be under
threat.
Regarding
Guinea
Bissau,
several
Council
members
expressed
displeasure at
how little
Ban Ki-moon's
envoy to the
country,
Joseph
Mutaboba,
seemed to know
about what was
going on.
This follows
an incident in
which Mutaboba
allowed a
US-alleged
drug kingpin
to take
shelter for an
extended
period in the
UN compound.
Is it time for
a new envoy?
Watch this
site.
, 
