Mogadishu
in
Manhattan Redux, The Return to Represent Somalia at UN of Idd Beddel
Mohamed - from Canada?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 5 -- After more than a year's absence from the UN in New York,
Somali diplomat Idd Beddel
Mohamed has returned, following the
appointment of a new foreign minister of the Transitional Federal
Government.
Wednesday he stood in front of the UN Security Council
waiting to attend a briefing for all UN member states on January's
program of work of the Council -- but refused to answer Press
questions such as, “Are you the Somali Permanent Representative
now?”
There
has been
something of a coup in the Somali Mission to the UN. Before Idd
Beddel Mohamed's return, sources in the Mission snarked that Idd
Beddel Mohamed had been remiss in December 2009 when, after another
change in the TFG, he was ordered back to Mogadishu.
The
sources said Idd Beddel Mohamed refused to return to Somalia, but
instead went to
Canada. They told Inner City Press a variety of things, not yet
published, about Idd Beddel Mohamed's time in Canada.
Then they
said
that the new foreign minister of the TFG had written directly to UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon re-naming Idd Beddel Mohamed a
representative, and saying that the long time Permanent
Representative was being recalled to Somalia.
Inner
City Press
immediately asked Ban Ki-moon's Spokesperson's Office to confirm
receipt of such a letter, on December 23. Having no answer, Inner
City Press repeated the question several times between Christmas and
New Years. Finally this answer arrived:
From:
UN
Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Subject:
Answer
To:
Inner
City Press
We
can
confirm receipt of a 17 December letter from the Somali Foreign
Minister recalling the Permanent Representative for consultations.
The Permanent Representative himself sent the Secretary-General a 22
December letter confirming his recall.
Inner
City Press
prepared to write a follow up article, but wanted to speak to Idd
Beddel Mohamed himself. But on January 5 in front of the first UN
Security Council meeting of the year, Idd Beddel Mohamed refused to
answer any Press questions.
Previously, Idd Beddel Mohamed answering questions
at UN: not this time
Even
as diplomats
from two other African countries, to whom Idd Beddel Mohamed was
speaking, stopped to great Inner City Press, Idd Beddel Mohamed
scowled and looked away. Apparently he did not like the story about
his time in Canada. We are always eager to hear, and publish, more.
But it is clear that the chaos in Mogadishu is playing out in real
time in Manhattan, and now without any explanations.
Also on
Somalia, Inner City Press asked India's Permanent Representative to the
UN Hardeep Singh Puri, incoming chairman of the Somalia sanctions
committee, to comment on the TFG's (and Puntland's) use of the private
military contractor Saracen, which is affiliated with the brother of
Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, main TFG supporter. He said he will study
and comment on this shortly. Video here.
Watch this site.
