After
UNIFIL
Peacekeeper
Killed, Mere
Elements to
the Press Then
Spanish PR
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 28 --
After a UN
Peacekeeper from Spain
was killed in
Lebanon, UN
Peacekeeping
deputy Edmond
Mulet briefed
the UN
Security Council.
Afterward the
output was
"elements to
the press,"
followed by
Spanish
Permanent
Representative
Oyurzun
Marchesi's
first stakeout
since
joining the
Security
Council four
weeks ago.
Will an
internal UN
investigation
be enough for
Spain? The
question was
not taken or
answered, yet.
An hour
before, Mulet
told the Press
that a UNIFIL
"Board of
Inquiry" will
look into the
death, and
that its report
will be
public.
Inner City
Press asked
Mulet how long
it would
taken. Mulet
said UNIFIL
has been asked
to expedite
the Board of
Inquiry.
Earlier on the
afternoon of
January 28,
the US State
Department's
spokesperson
put this out:
"The
United States
strongly
condemns
Hezbollah’s
attack today
from Lebanon
on Israeli
Defense Forces
(IDF) in
blatant
violation of
the cease fire
between
Lebanon and
Israel and UN
Security
Council
Resolution
1701, which
called for the
immediate
cessation by
Hezbollah of
all
attacks.
We support
Israel’s
legitimate
right to
self-defense
and continue
to urge all
parties to
respect the
Blue Line
between Israel
and
Lebanon.
We urge all
parties to
refrain from
any action
that could
escalate the
situation.
"We are deeply
concerned by
reports of
injuries and
casualties on
both sides of
the Blue Line,
including the
reported
deaths of IDF
soldiers and
the death of a
Spanish UN
peacekeeper
from the UN
Interim Force
in Lebanon
(UNIFIL).
We extend our
sincere
condolences to
the victims’
families.
We also stand
with UNIFIL as
it fulfills
its important
mandate to
maintain peace
and security
along the Blue
Line.
"Hezbollah
continues to
incite
violence and
instability
inside Lebanon
by attacking
Israel and by
its presence
and fighting
inside Syria,
which violates
Lebanese
leaders’
agreed policy
of
dissociating
Lebanon from
foreign
conflicts."
But who killed
the UN
peacekeeper?
And what are
the UNIFIL
Mission's
rules of
engagement?
Inner City
Press asked
the UN
Spokesperson,
video
here.
And there will
be a briefing
by UN
Peacekeeping's
elusive -
we're being
diplomatic -
chief Herve
Ladsous. (Here's
video of his
last
appearance.)
The reports
from Lebanon
were that
Israeli
Defense Forces
killed the
peacekeeper.
This raised
the stakes
for, and some
questions
about, the
United
Nations.
Recently when
UN
peacekeepers
in northern
Mali were
fired at --
none killed in
the incident
-- UN
Peacekeeping
responded with
air strikes
from attack
helicopters,
killing
five. Is
this only how
UN
Peacekeeping
respond to its
personnel
being fired at
in Africa, or
only in Mali?
Inner City
Press asked
the Spanish
Mission to the
UN if there is
any UN
Security
Council
statement
being worked
on. They responded,
it is being
worked on
right now.
@innercitypress
. Thank you.
We are working
on it right
now.
How
will it
address who is
responsible
for the
killing?
Killing a UN
peacekeeper,
the Security
Council has
often said,
can be a war
crime.
Footnote:
While awaiting
response to
written
questions
Inner City
Press put to
the UNIFIL's
top four
spokespeople,
for now they
still compare
favorably to
the UN's
mission in
Haiti,
MINUSTAH,
whose
spokeswoman
Sophie Boutaud
de la Combe
has put many
UN
Headquarters-based
media on the
mission's
press e-mail
list, but has
refused
as to Inner
City Press,
which closely
covers
not only
cholera in
Haiti but also
the UN
peacekeepers
there, as in
Mali, firing
at protesters.
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