On
Embassy
Attacks,
Wittig Won't
Answer on
Denigration
of Religion,
Araud
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 14
-- After two
days of
protests of an
anti-Islamic
YouTube video
at embassies
not only of
the US but
also
the UK and,
notably,
Germany in
Sudan, this
month's UN
Security
Council
president
Peter Wittig
of Germany
came to the
Council
stakeout at
8:30 pm on
Friday to read
a Council
statement. Video
here.
When
Wittig
finished
reading, Inner
City Press
asked him
about what
several other
Council
members had
told it
earlier in the
afternoon:
that the
September 12
statement on
the killing of
US diplomats
in
Libya had
initially
included a
condemnation
of the
denigration of
the
religion --
that is, of
the murky film
-- but that
France's
Ambassador
Gerard Araud
blocked it,
saying he was
proud to have
the
freedom to
denigrate
religion.
Wittig
answered, you
certain don't
expect me to
speak about
internal and
confidential
deliberations
of the
Council."
Then, brushing
off Inner City
Press' follow
up, he said
that Germany's
position is
reflected in
the Council
statement. Video here.
But
what several
other Security
Council
members raised
to Inner City
Press is that
France and
other European
countries --
including
Germany -- now
cite freedom
of speech as a
basis for not
condemning
the YouTube
video, but
have laws
against other
forms of
speech.
It
gets divisive,
and could be
distinguished,
but the
comparison is
inevitable.
Dodging it may
not be the
best approach.
Also
on September
14, the US had
its Vice
President Joe
Biden make the
call to his
Sudanese
counterpart,
Vice President
Taha.
Since
President
Barack Obama
himself called
Egypt's Morsi
and then
Yemen's
Hadi, it
seemed clear
that Obama
wanted to
avoid any talk
with
Sudanese
President Omar
al-Bashir, who
has been
indicted by
the
International
Criminal Court
for genocide.
But
while the US
seemed to
excuse Libya
for the
attack, even
as
anti-aircraft
guns roared in
Benghazi, in
Sudan as it
would be in
Iran, protests
were blamed on
the
government,
even as it
killed
protesters. On
the other
hand, Sudan
did bus
protesters to
the
embassies.
Watch this
site.
, 
