By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 30 --
After Iraq's
Permanent
Representative
to the UN held
up his finger
on April 30 to
show that he
had voted,
Inner City
Press asked
him if voting
had been
possible in
Falluja.
No, he
replied, in
Falluja it was
not possible,
but some who
lived there
went and voted
elsewhere. How
many?
He cited a 60%
overall
turn-out, and
said his own
80 year old mother
told him that
who she voted
for is none of
this business.
Call it a
mature
democracy.
Back
on March 27 after
the UN's envoy
to Iraq
Nickolay
Mladenov
briefed the UN
Security
Council on
March 27,
Inner City
Press asked
him if the
April 30
elections can
go forward
unless the
Independent
High Elections
Commissioners
reverse their
resignations.
Mladenov said
their
resignations
have not yet
been accepted,
and that the
parliament is
trying to give
them immunity
from liability
for decisions,
to keep them
independent.
Inner City
Press also
asked about
the "good
reputation"
standards for
candidates,
and one who
has been
disqualified.
Mladenov said
attempts are
underway to
avoid
"arbitrary"
disqualifications.
The Security
Council
stakeout had a
lot of
correspondents,
but not for
Iraq. There
was a North
Korea
consultation
to follow, and
even though
the US had not
circulated any
draft, largely
Japanese media
were waiting
for any
summary of the
meeting from
Luxembourg,
the Council's
president for
March.
No such
summarize was
given on March
26, after
Russia raised
the issue of
"terrorist"
attacks on
Latakia in
Syria. But
this NOrth
Korea was a
big one.
Mladenov
gracefully
answered three
correspondents'
questions, the
first one
generally
about
terrorism, and
then was gone.
Even back in
January, the
situation in
Anbar in Iraq
was deadly
serious; in
the UN
Security
Council in New
York, less so.
After
the Security
Council met on
January 9
about Iraq,
Inner City
Press asked
Jordan's
Permanent
Representative
Prince Zeid,
the Council
president for
the month, if
a draft
Presidential
Statement had
been
circulated by
the United
States.
Zeid replied
on the
Council's
"continuing
examination on
possibility of
putting
something
out."
When
on Friday
afternoon a
public meeting
of the
Security
Council was
called for
5:30 pm, it
was for the agreed-to
presidential
statement.
The UN's
machinery
whirled into
gear: the UN
Television
cameras,
Security
officers,
interpreters.
But
when the
meeting
started at
5:34 pm, even
watching UNTV
on a small
screen out at
the stakeout
it was clear
that one of
the 15 seats
was empty:
Nigeria's.
Since
it is often
said that all
15 have to be
present to
hold such a
meeting, Inner
City Press ran
up to the
third floor
gallery to
look again.
Sure enough: Nigeria's
seat, next to
Luxembourg,
was empty.
Click here.
Prince
Zeid read
about the
Presidential
Statement --
it did NOT
call on the
government to
show restraint
-- and the
meeting was
over.
Iraq's
Permanent
Representative
Mohamed Ali
Alhakim came
out and
despite being
discouraged by
some from
doing a
public, UN
televised
stakeout, told
Inner City
Press (on
behalf of the
Free
UN Coalition
for Access)
that he would
take to the
microphone.
Inner
City Press
asked him what
the government
sees as the
next steps in
Falluja, given
that at least
some Council
members have
been talking
about the need
to show
restraint,
even maximum
restraint.
Mohamed
Ali
Alhakim
replied that
the government
is "working
with the
tribes" and is
hoping that
the fight can
take place
outside of the
city.
Afterward
Inner
City Press
asked a
Council legal
expert if, in
fact, Nigeria
was marked
absent and if
there was any
precedent.
"You saw what
you saw," was
the pithy
answer; a
precedent back
in 1950 was
cited. Surely
there are some
more recent.
But this is
just the first
month, for the
five new
members.
Since
the statement
was basically
agreed to
between the
United States
and Iraq and
rubber stamped
by the other
Council
members,
perhaps it was
fair for
Nigeria to not
arrive. In
further
fairness,
there was a
closed meeting
down in
Conference
Room 1 of the
"Special
Committee on
Peacekeeping
Operations,"
which Nigeria
has chaired. Photo
and snark here.
We may have
more on this.
Watch this
site.
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