UNITED
NATIONS, June
26 -- It took
Romano Prodi
more than
eight months
to
complete the
Sahel report
he presented
to the UN
Security
Council on
Wednesday.
During
that time,
Inner City
Press received
complaints
from within
the UN's
Advisory
Committee on
Administrative
and
Budgetary
Questions that
Prodi was
charging $1200
for travel
between
Bologna and
Rome.
Diplomats
complained
about his
ideas for a
fund,
and about the
UNOWA
operations in
Dakar,
Senegal.
After
Prodi's low
key
presentation
and
consultations,
June's
Security
Council
president Mark
Lyall Grant
came to the
stakeout,
saying among
other things
that Morocco
will prepare a
Presidential
Statement on
the topic.
Inner
City Press
asked why the
report took so
long, if Prodi
will has a
role, and what
the role of
UNOWA would be
in the
strategy.
Lyall
Grant replied,
as transcribed
by the UK
Mission to the
UN:
Lyall
Grant: It was
explained that
there have
been very
close
cooperation
between UNDP
and DPA in
producing this
report that,
Mr Prodi
himself
said that, his
job was to
inject some
new thinking,
present the
report, ensure
that
implementation
began, but
then fade
away. He was
not looking to
sustain his
role in the
longer term.
His role was
not
completed yet,
but once the
train, I think
the expression
he used
was, once the
train had left
the station on
implementation
then he
was not
looking to do
his role,
continue his
role, and that
the next
stage would be
taken forward
by perhaps
operating out
of the UNOWA
office in
Dakar. Now
there was a
recognition
that the
mandate of
UNOWA of
course goes
much wider
than the Sahel
countries, but
that
UNOWA mandate
was also on
the Security
Council’s
agenda later
this
year and there
might be some
adjustment of
that to take
account of
this fact.
The
“train leaving
the station”
image brought
to mind
Prodi's travel
and cost:
seems he
doesn't take
the train.
Another
Council member
told Inner
City Press it
was that Prodi
said he wanted
to see the
train start
moving. Would
that be the
gravy train?
Watch this
site.
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