After
Benghazi
Killings, US
Proposed
Criticizing
Denigration of
Religion,
France Said
No: Likes
Denigrating
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 14,
updated
below
-- Two days
after the UN
Security
Council
issued a press
statement on
the "Attacks
against U.S.
Diplomatic
Personnel" in
Libya, Inner
City Press has
learned of a
telling
back-and-forth
in the Council
prior to
adoption of
the statement.
The
US Mission to
the UN
proposed the
initial draft,
which included
a
phrase against
the
denigration of
religion,
Inner City
Press has
exclusively
been informed, then
France opposed
inclusion
of that
phrase,
arguing among
other things
that the
French
constitution
is secular.
While this
action too
will have its
reaction --
three Council
members
paraphrased
French
Permanent
Representative
Gerard Araud
that he
likes and
takes pride in
the freedom to
denigrate
religion,
and two called
this
outrageous --
the Council
Press
Statement was
issued on
September 12
without
anything on
denigration of
religion.
It
is newsworthy,
Council
members
emphasize to
Inner City
Press, both
that this US
Mission to the
UN proposed
the phrase
criticizing
denigration of
religion, and
that France --
where the
Sarkozy-era
spats about
religious
jewelry and
even halal
butchers are
apparently
not over --
opposed it.
"There
are
other
statements
coming," a
Security
Council member
told
Inner City
Press at 4 pm
on Friday.
Watch this
site.
Update
of 7 pm
-- Council
members tell
Inner City
Press there IS
another press
statement
under the
silence
procedure,
about the
attacks on
embassies in
Sudan.
Meanwhile the
US had Vice
President
Biden call
Sudanese Vice
President
Taha.
President Omar
al-Bashir, of
course, has
been indicted
by the
International
Criminal Court
for genocide.
But that didn't
stop Ban
Ki-moon from
greeting, if
not meeting,
Bashir.
Priorities...
, 
