By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 16
-- First UN
Peacekeeping
ordered Filipino
troops in the
Golan Heights
to surrender
to Al Nusra.
Now UN
Peacekeeping
has abandoned
its posts on
the Syrian
side of the
line of
demarcation.
The UN left
behind
materials and
equipment,
Syrian Ambassador
Bashar
Ja'afari said
on September
16. Inner City
Press asked
Ja'afari what
kind of
equipment, and
about the
order(s) to
surrender.
Ja'afari replied
that the
question is
whether the
UNDOF Force
Commander gave
the orders to
surrender
after speaking
with -- or
being spoken
to by -- UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous. He
said this has
not been
answered.
(Ladsous
refuses Press
questions, see video compilation here, UK
coverage here.)
Now al Nusra
fighters are
using UN
weapons, UN
vehicles and
even UN uniforms,
Ja'afari said.
The Security
Council is to
meet on this
topic on
September 17
-- behind
closed doors.
All
this gives
rise to many
questions
about the UN
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations.
But
things are
arranged for
DPKO chief
Herve Ladsous
to avoid the
tough
questions,
just as he has
announced he
will not
respond to
questions of
media whose
questions he
doesn't like.
Video
here and here and here.
Inner
City Press on
September 2 asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric:
Inner
City
Press: the
Philippines
military has
complained
that the
military force
commander of
UNDOF asked or
ordered the
Filipino
peacekeepers
to lay down
their weapons
in some sort
of in relation
to the Fijians
and they
refused to do
so and has
asked, as they
say, for an
investigation
of the
commander.
Could you
explain under
what
circumstances
the UN central
peacekeeping
or force
commander
would ask
peacekeepers
to lay down
their weapons
in the face of
a hostile
group and why?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
Again, as the
situation is
ongoing and
the situation
in the
Filipinos and
Fijians are
obviously
linked, I'm
not getting
into the
detail of it.
What I will
say is that we
will respond
to any formal
request made
by Member
State. Its
normal
procedure of
review of
action being
taken and
after review
action be
taken by
mission once
the situation
has concluded.
So, I think we
have to get
through this
is extremely
volatile
situation. The
safety of all
our
peacekeepers
here is
foremost on
our mind. It's
at risk. We
have seen the
kind of area
they are
operating on
and I think we
need to let
this — we need
to let all of
this conclude
and then we
can address it
more formally.
Inner
City
Press: for
troop-contributing
countries, are
you aware of
any other case
in which
peacekeeping
has asked
peacekeepers
to essentially
surrender and
are they
supposed to
obey those
orders?
Usually they
complain the
other way and
they are
ordered to
fight and they
won't fight.
Are you aware
of any other
case when they
are ordered to
surrender?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
And I think
every
situation is
different, and
as I said what
is foremost on
our mind is
the safety of
our soldiers.
Since
Dujarric on
September 2
said he
couldn't or
wouldn't
answer, when
he moderated a
supposed press
briefing by
Herve Ladsous
on September
3, it was
expected he
would call on
Inner City
Press to put
these
questions to
Ladsous. But
now Dujarric
has
internalized
Ladsous'
censorship.
Dujarric
gave
the set-aside
first question
to the UN
Correspondents
Association,
whose
Executive
Board never
complained
about Ladsous'
selective
answers -- and
in fact tried
to get Inner
City Press to
change its
reporting on
Ladsous. Later
on September 3
UNCA's
President
loudly offered
“free food” at
an event with
the Ladsous
spokesperson
who
rationalized
his
non-answering,
see video
here.
Dujarric
gave the next
question to
Reuters, then
to France 24.
This is how
the UN works,
or doesn't.
The new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
is opposing
these trends
at the UN, of
which Ladsous
is only one
example,
albeit an
extreme one.
Only
once Ladsous
had left did
Dujarric call
on Inner City
Press to ask a
question --
which he then
proceeded to
essentially
not answer.
Inner City
Press asked
about the
black-flagged
UN vehicles,
and about
public and
widely
reported
comments by
Ireland's
minister of
defense that
no more Irish
troops will be
send to the
UNDOF mission
until it is
reviewed.
Dujarric
didn't
substantively
respond,
saying no
formal
communication
has been
received from
the Irish
government.
UNCA's
President's
soft ball
question,
unpressed, was
about Filipino
Colonel Ezra
James
Enriquez.
Ladsous said
he has
“tendered his
resignation”
but that “is a
matter for
them.” For
whom? It's now
reported that
Ezra James
Enriquez has
“left his
post.”
There
is more to be
said. Watch
this site.
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