On
Iraq, UNSC
Minus One
Approves a
Statement on
Anbar, No
Restraint?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 10 --
The situation
in Anbar in
Iraq is 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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