Mauritania
Says It'd
Serve MINUSMA
On Border, UN
&
France Say
It's Up to
Mali
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 16 --
When the UN
Security
Council's
meeting on
Mali
ended on
Wednesday,
Inner City
Press asked
envoy Bert
Koenders about
Mauritania's
offer to
contribute
troops to his
mission,
MINUSMA, but
only if they
could remain
close to their
own country's
border.
It
is unclear if
UN
Peacekeeping,
which
supervised
MINUSMA and
Koenders,
accepts or
should accepts
such dictates
by Troop
Contributing
Countries.
Koenders
replied
that
Mauritania's
offer is being
discussed and
negotiated
with the
Malian
government.
But
again: doesn't
the UN have a
position,
since it is a
UN
peacekeeping
mission, paid
from the UN --
that is, other
states' --
money?
Inner
City Press
asked French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud,
including
because
France has
owned the top
post in UN
Peacekeeping
for the last
four
times, more
than 16 years,
if the UN
could live
with the
restrictions
Mauritania
proposed in
Mali.
Araud
replied that
Mali is
sovereign,
that's why
they have to
be negotiated
with.
Let's
say he meant
that the host
countries of
UN
Peacekeeping
missions get
to veto
particular
Troop
Contributing
Countries. But
once a TCC is
approved, can
the TCC
dictate where
-- and how --
it will serve?
It
remains
UNclear. Watch
this site.
Inner
City Press
also asked
Koenders about
Paragraph 16
of his
statement to
the Council,
which while
referring to
impunity to
did not
mention the
gang rape charges
against MINUSMA
peacekeepers
from Chad.
Koenders said
it is being
investigated
and that
witnesses can
be interviewed
by Chad, as
they have not
left Mali.
We'll see.
When
France's Gerald
Araud
followed,
Inner City
Press asked
him about the
(echoing)
Malian
minister's
reply that
MINUSMA should
do more to
protect
civilians in
Gao and Kidal.
What explains
the UN in the
DRC reacting
to the
shelling of
Goma with
attack
helicopters,
and doing
nothing when
Gao was
shelled?
Araud said the
difference is
that MINUSMA
is so new. Is
that the only
difference?
Who's being
servile, or
Serval, to
whom? Watch
this site.
From
the French
Mission's
transcript:
Inner
City Press:
The Malian
Minister
Diarra said
that MINUSMA,
on the
protection of
civilians,
could be doing
more in Gao
and Kidal,
they
should have a
greater
presence
there. I
wonder what
the difference
is
in terms of
mandate and
role between
MINUSMA and
MONUSCO in the
DRC?
It seems, in
the DRC, each
time a shell
falls on a
city, it goes
back
at the rebels.
Here shells
are falling
and it doesn’t
seem there is
any response.
You said here
they are
amateurs. Can
you explain
the
difference?
Amb.
Araud: First,
as Mr Koenders
said, the main
difference is
that the
force has just
been created,
on the 1st of
July. The
force is half
of
its strength.
We are in the
first weeks,
the first
months of the
force.
Secondly,
there
was no need to
retaliate or
to shoot back.
There was one
shot.
After that,
you have to
conduct an
investigation
to try to
guess who
did it. We
will see
exactly the
way the force
is behaving
when the
force is
totally
operational. I
think it could
be in the
coming
months....
Inner
City Press: I
want to make
sure I didn’t
misunderstand
Mr Koenders.
He was
reporting that
Mauritania
offered
peacekeepers
to MINUSMA but
only if they
could remain
in the part of
the country
near its own
border. I
don’t know
what the DPKO
policy is but
my
understanding
is that it is
between the
Mauritanian
and the Malian
governments.
Does that mean
they wouldn’t
be part of the
MINUSMA? Is
there some
Malian role?
Amb.
Araud: Mr
Koenders just
repeated what
the policy is.
We are in a
sovereign
country, Mali,
and, as the
host country,
it has
something
to say about
the
contingents.
That is the
reason why Mr
Koenders said
it was between
Mali and
Mauritania.
This type of
conversation
has to
be conducted
between Mali
and
Mauritania.
Thank you.
, 
