Nigeria
Says It Will
Be "Fully
Involved" in W.
Sahara,
Ukraine as
Footnote
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
2 -- After
Nigeria and
its Ambassador
Joy Ogwu assumed
the
UN Security
Council
presidency
on April 2
Inner City
Press asked
Ogwu about
Ukraine being
a footnote in
the month's
Program of
Work,
and about the
predicted fast
approval of a
new mandate
for the
MINURSO
mission in
Western
Sahara. Video
here, from
Minute 21:21
In
the Program of
Work the
"consultations"
on Western
Sahara
are set for
April 17 and
adoption of
the resolution
on April 23.
Inner City
Press asked if
this means it
is in the
hands of the
"Group
of Friends,"
which does not
include any
African
member.
Ogwu
replied, "we
expect to be
fully
involved."
Given that the
African Union
position on
Western
Sahara, will
that mean that
a human
rights
monitoring
mechanism for
MINURSO, as
exists in
other
peacekeeping
missions, will
be seriously
considered?
Will the US,
which proposed
such a
mechanism last
year, push
forward again?
Secretary of
State John
Kerry is
visiting both
Morocco and
Algeria
early in
April. We'll
see.
On
Ukraine, Inner
City Press
asked if the
expect report
of UN human
rights deputy
Ivan Simonovic
will trigger a
meeting or
consultation
of the
Security
Council. Ogwu
replied, with
due regard for
strategic
planning, that
bridge will be
crossed when
reached.
As
the second
question --
why there is a
claim of
tradition of
UNCA,
often
the UN's
Censorship
Alliance trying
to get others
thrown
out of the UN
and blocking
access to documents
on the
Internet,
automatically
getting the
first
question is
and will be
addressed
elsewhere --
the new Free
UN Coalition
for Access encouraged
Ambassador
Ogwu to hold
question and
answer
stakeouts,
even brief
ones, after
closed door
consultations,
as
Luxembourg
did (14) in
March.
Ogwu
noted the
invitation.
With agenda
items on the
Middle East,
Central
African
Republic,
Darfur, South
Sudan and it
seems North
Korea, in
Arria formula
style, such
stakeout
should be
useful. Watch
this site.
, 
