EU
Mogharini at
UN Taken
Handpicked Qs
on Libya, No
Sudan or Burundi
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
28
-- When
Federica
Mogherini came
to take
questions
outside the UN
Security
Council on
April 24, it
was as High
Representative
of the
European Union
for Foreign
Affairs
Security
Policy and
Vice-President
of the
European
Commission.
But the
performance
was decidedly
parochial.
First it was
announced that
after the
"international"
media, she
would do a
separate
stakeout just
for media from
her native Italy.
Then the
questions
handpicked for
Mogherini were
all Western
and Gulf (Saudi),
particularly
on the issue
of Iran. An
Iranian
journalist was
rejected.
Chosen were
Reuters, NYT,
BBC jumping in
and France 24,
specifically
selected, with
a copycat
Libya
question.
At the end -
or, before the
Italian only
stakeout --
Inner City
Press asked,
Sudan, Burundi,
anything? But
there was not.
Nor on Western
Sahara, on
which EU
members
earlier on
April 28
pushed a
resolution
without human
rights
monitoring for
a UN
peacekeeping
mission, MINURSO.
On
Sudan, the questions
are obvious:
over 90% vote
for al Bashir,
cover up of
Tabit rapes.
But in Burundi,
the EU's
Patrick
Spirlet has
been quoted
that the EU
will give 80
elections
observers -
even as radio
stations are
closed and
people killed.
What's the
answer?
Maybe
they're just
getting it
together.
The
Security Council
- with its EU
members - will
hear about Burundi
on April 28.
Watch this
site.
(The
new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
challenges
such one-sided
use of the UN
Security
Council
stakeout. The
old UNCA, UN's
Censorship
Alliance, won't.
It is run by Giampaolo
Pioli of
Italy.)
On
April 27 Inner
City Press
asked Ban's
deputy
spokesperson
Farhan Haq,
and got in
response an
"if-asked." Transcript here
Inner
City
Press:
On Burundi,
over the
weekend, the
ruling party
nominated the
current
president for
a third… to
run for a
third
term.
And there have
been
crackdowns by
the police,
the closure of
a radio
station, Radio
Public
Africaine, and
others… I'm
wondering
other
countries have
spoken.
What is the
UN's response
to what's
happened?
Deputy
Spokesman
Haq:
Yeah, we're
following the
situation in
Burundi very
closely and
we're deeply
concerned over
the violence
over the
weekend,
including of a
number of
deaths
following the
announcement
that the
president
would seek a
third term and
we urge a
swift
investigation
into the
violence.
Said Djinnit,
the Special
Envoy for the
Great Lakes is
in Bujumbura
to convey the
UN’s concerns
and work with
all parties on
defusing
tensions.
Perhaps as Ban
does more and
more, he will
"outsource"
the rest of
the UN's
reaction to
Geneva, while
he for example
cavorts with
those who,
like in
Burundi, go
after
independent
journalists.
In Burundi,
the RPA was
raided and
told to stop
live-streaming
the crackdown.
Where
is the UN
Security
Council, and
its
"pen-holder"
on Burundi, on
this?
, 
