At
UN,
Condemnation of Lebanese Army Urged by US, Aug. 9 Meeting Tensions
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 6 -- With the Lebanon -
Israel shootout to be
discussed by the UN Security Council for a second time on August 9,
Inner City Press has learned that the United States is pushing for a
statement condemning Lebanon for what it sees as a premeditated
sniping at Israeli commanders.
The
Council's
first
meeting on the shootout resulted a mere “elements to the
press” read out by this month's president Vitaly Churkin.
A
stronger Press
Statement or Presidential Statement following the August 9
consultations, some members tell Inner City Press, could further
raise tensions in southern Lebanon, along with what Hezbollah is
predicting will be the indictment of its members for the Hariri
killing.
But
even these
members think something must be said about Lebanon calling into
question the demarcation of the Blue Line.
Today
in the
Security Council, the force commanders of nearly all UN Peacekeeping
missions are briefing Council members -- with the exception of
Lebanon's UNIFIL, and Darfur's UNAMID. So the Council will not hear
about these more volatile missions.
UNIFIL on the Blue Line, UNSC statement(s) not shown
To
contrast the
two, while facts have quickly emerged about the shootout across the
Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon, the UN has apparently taken no
steps in Darfur to reach the “full understanding of the facts”
behind the killings in the Kalma camp which the Council called for a
full week ago. Watch this site.
Footnote:
in
the UN General Assembly lobby on the evening of August 5, a
reception was held for the year's World Press Photo exhibition. A
particularly striking photo shows the partially buried head of a
young girl killed when the building she was in, along with a Hamas
leader, was bombed. Several diplomats, among them the Permanent
Representatives of the Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, milled
around as waiters served wine (but no food). The photos were and are
food for thought.
* * *
At
UN,
Lebanon Gunfire Echoes Through Council Meeting on August's Work: Piracy
and Chad But No Myanmar
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 3, updated -- News of a shootout between Lebanese and Israeli
forces echoed through Tuesday morning's Security Council breakfast
and August program of work meeting.
Lebanon's Deputy Permanent
Representative Caroline Ziada, rushing into the Council at 10 am, said
there would
be consultations on the shootout at 11:30.
Other
Council sources told Inner City Press the time and format were not
yet set, but that “something will happen this morning.”
In July,
when French peacekeepers were pelted with eggs, an emergency Council
session was held. Now with at least three dead Lebanese soldiers and
one dead journalist - and reports of a senior Israeli military
casualty - an emergency meeting and statement are to be expected.
Jaded
observers
said “this always happened in August,” harkening back to the
Russia - Georgia war in South Ossetia. Russia's Vitaly Churkin, the
Council's president for August, has been project a slow, vacation
like month. Russia decided it would not have the standard “thematic
debate” -- sources say theirs would have been on Resolution 1540 --
and to keep meetings to a minimum.
A
European Council
member told Inner City Press its priorities for August included
keeping any re-opening of discussion on Kosovo's status at the August
3 debate to a minimum, hearing the Secretariat's plan to protect
civilians in Chad, and the rule of law component in combating piracy
off the coast of Somalia.
Lebanon's DPR Ziada, under Israeli eyes, consultations not shown
Another
Council
member told Inner City Press that the Children and Armed Conflict
report on Colombia has been completed, and so needs to be presented.
The
UK, usually
concerned about Myanmar or as they call it Burma, did not ask to have
it even in the footnotes. We aim to have more about the UN and
Myanmar, soon. And on Lebanon. Watch this site.
Update of 10:43 am
-- sources tell Inner City Press that Lebanon is "any other business"
item after program of work. Presidency says Churkin will go forward
with 11 am press conference about the month's agenda. "They are through
with Lebanon," an attendee says at 10:44. Through? Surreal.
Update of 10:48 am
-- Attendee returns and apologizes. The consultations on Lebanon will
be at 11:30.
Update
of
11:32 am -- for the 11:30 briefing on Lebanon, head peacekeeper
Alain Le Roy rushes in, and Secretariat's Nicholas Haysum. Churkin's
program of work presser pushed back to after the noon briefing.
Update
of
12:32 pm -- A Permanent Representative exiting the Council tells
Inner City Press that “elements to the press” on Lebanon have
been agreed (litany of buzzwords, restraint, investigation, 1701) and
that a more formal press statement on Ban's flotilla panel is being
discussed.
Update
of 1:25 pm -- Churkin read out the elements to the press and then
declined to take questions on them, saying it is still being
investigated by UNIFIL. Alain Le Roy confirmed to the Press that Israel
gave a few hours notice of the work that it would be doing. At
Churkin's presser, Inner City Press asked about Kyrgyzstan, Sudan and
Kosovo - watch this site this afternoon.
* * *
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