By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 14 --
With Morocco
still blocking
the UN's Kim
Bolduc from
heading the
MINURSO
peacekeeping
mission in
Western Sahara
amid
controversy
about the
performance of
UN Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous, Inner
City Press on
November 14
asked UN Deputy
Spokesperson
Farhan Haq
about Bolduc
and an
investigation
of leaks in
Geneva of
which sources
tell it. Video
here.
On November 5,
Inner City
Press reported
on leaked
cables showing
among other
things the
UN's Ladsous
undermining
MINURSO on the
issue of human
rights, and
improper
service of
Morocco by
Office of the
High
Commissioner
of Human
Rights
staffers
Anders Kompass
and Bacre Waly
Ndiaye.
Since
then, along
with anonymous
death threats,
Inner City
Press has
received
additional
information
including of a
UN Office of
Internal
Oversight
Services
investigation
of Anders Kompers
and Bacre Waly
Ndiaye.
On November
14, Inner City
Press asked
the UN's Haq,
per UN
transcript:
Deputy
Spokesman
Haq: You
had a question
on Western
Sahara?
Inner City
Press: It's a
two-pronged
question.
What Stéphane
[Dujarric]
said earlier
in the week
about Kim
Bolduc, the
new SRSG
[Special
Representative
of the
Secretary-General].
I wanted to
just kind of
confirm
it. In
reading it,
does that mean
that she has
never has been
allowed
in? And,
if so, where
has she been
since
August?
What is the
plan to
resolve
that?
And I also
wanted to ask
you about
regarding the
cables that I
base the
initial
question
on. Can
you confirm
that OIOS
[Office for
Internal
Oversight
Services] is
conducting an
investigation
at the Office
of the High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights on at
least two
staff members
who apparently
leaked this
information to
the Moroccan
Government?
Deputy
Spokesman
Haq: On
that, I cannot
confirm
that. As
you know, the
OIOS conducts
its work
independently.
At some point,
once they have
completed
their work,
they apprise
us
[inaudible].
But I wouldn't
be aware of
any work that
is
ongoing.
Beyond that,
regarding Kim
Bolduc, as you
know, both
Christopher
Ross and Kim
Bolduc briefed
the Security
Council on 27
October.
And at that
point, the
Security
Council
reiterated its
desire, first
of all, to see
Ambassador
Ross's
facilitation
resume and
reiterated its
desire to see
Kim Bolduc be
able to take
up her duties
at the helm of
MINURSO
[United
Nations
Mission for
the Referendum
in Western
Sahara] as
soon as
possible.
And we look
forward to the
resumption of
Mr. Ross's
visit to the
region and
also to the
deployment of
Kim Bolduc.
Inner City
Press:
But is she
currently, I
mean, she is
the SRSG?
Deputy
Spokesman
Haq: She
is the SRSG,
but she has
not been able
to function
with her
MINURSO duties
in-country.
In-country,
eh? We'll have
more on this.
And on this:
Inner City
Press is
informed that
while Ladsous
claims to have
performed as
required in
connection
with the
appointment of
Bolduc, even
on this he is
accused of
failing to do
his duty, as
on many other
parts of his
job. Video
compilation
here;
recent Vine
here.
Document leaks
from inside
the UN have
identified
improper
service of
Morocco, on
the question
of Western
Sahara, by a
staffer at the
Office of the
High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights, Anders
Kompass.
Inner
City Press has
waited to
report on
them; the
spokesperson
for the High
Commissioner
has today said
his office is
aware the
leaked cables,
which contain
the
perspective of
certain
diplomats, and
that the
situation is
being
investigated
to clarify the
facts.”
Whatever
the
Office of the
High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights, now
under Jordan's
Prince Zeid,
does about the
content of the
leaks, more
will be
required in
the UN
Secretariat in
New York --
particularly
at the top of
the Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations,
which runs the
MINURSO
mission in
Western
Sahara.
The
cables show
that Herve
Ladsous, a long-time
French
diplomat now
the boss of
DPKO and
thus of
MINURSO, was
flacking for
Morocco on the
supposed
quality of its
human rights
mechanisms. This
directly
undercuts the
MINURSO
mission, for
which Ladsous
is supposed to
be working.
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