Inner City Press: Investigative Reporting from the United Nations

At UN, Sudan Statement Deal Drops Robust, Puts In Political Detainees

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 21 -- After negotiations that stretched from Wednesday's Darfur briefing to the sidelines of Thursday's Middle East debate, the UN Security Council reached a compromise Sudan statement on April 21.

Click here to view the approved Presidential Statement.

As Inner City Press predicted, the word “robust” as applied to the UNAMID peacekeeping mission was dropped from the text, replaced by the phrase “increasingly full implementation" the mandate.

Amid concerns that UNAMID under Ibrahim Gambari hardly reports on, much less stops, governmental attacks on civilians, Inner City Press asked US Ambassador Susan Rice on Thursday morning if “robust” would drop out.

“We're negotiating,” Ambassador Rice replied, adding, “that's hardly the most important issue.”

Sudan's diplomat on hand told Inner City Press that most important to Khartoum was the reference to “the DPP,” the Al Bashir government's Darfur Peace Process. They do not want it to come after, or be subsumed under, the so-called Doha Process.

Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Farhan Haq about the resignation of the head of the Doha Process, Djibril Bassole, to return as foreign minister to Burkina Faso after the mutiny there. Haq said that “if” Bassole is confirmed, a search process will begin.

Late in the process, when the negotiations at least from right ouside the Security Council chamber came to resemble a rotating poker game, the concept of political detainees became an issue.

Susan Rice, Lyall Grant and Gambari in Darfur, robustness not shown

Inner City Press asked if this referred to, for example, Hassan al Turabi. No, people on both sides of the argument responded, the reference is to people who were arrested after speaking to the Security Council members who, along with Inner City Press, visited Darfur in October 2010.

Those are definitely political prisoners, a Western Deputy Permanent Representative told Inner City Press. But will this statement help them?

Many diplomats joked around the disappearing word “robust,” tying it to the hot and iced coffee being served in the Council throughout the presidency of Colombia and its Ambassador Nestor Osorio, previously the head of the world coffee organization. When the month is over, these diplomats predict, members will go into withdrawal. Watch this site.

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At UN, Sudan Statement Delayed on Abyei, Darfur DPP & No “Robust," only "Fully Implement," Mandate

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 20, updated twice April 21 -- After a full Sudan day in the UN Security Council, the members were not able to reach agreement on a Presidential Statement. As they left past 7 pm, two Permanent and two non-Permanent members told Inner City Press divergent stories.

The US, it emerges, holds the pen on Darfur as well as (South) Sudan. The claim is that there are few disagreements, just a matter of how it's written down on paper.

But three other delegations disagree. One summarized that the disagreement is about two approaches to the Darfur process: the African Union approach or a “more staged approach with conditionality.” With more detail, Inner City Press was told that the Permanent Five members will confer with South Africa.

The split, as convention has it, puts Russia and China wanting to keep Khartoum's Darfur Peace Process separate from the Doha process, described as dominated by the US as well as the Arab Group. They also are said not to want a list in the statement of preconditions to the DPP beginning.

A separate dispute exists about the Abyei paragraph, with African countries not wanting the paragraph to prejudge the outcome.

Not only Russia but also Brazil don't want the word “robust” in the statement, as a description of UNAMID's mandate.

While there is a philosophical discussion of “robustness” taking place in the UN's C-34 committee, it seems clear that the UN Mission in Cote d'Ivoire using attack helicopters against Laurent Gbagbo's forces, and the action in Libya under Resolution 1973 (on which Russia and Brazil both abstained) make more pronounced their opposition to robust in this statement.

Ban and Bashir, Darfur Peace Process not shown

While Russia in particular is being described as obstructionist, on April 19 on Yemen and with others on April 20 on Sudan, it is pointed out that the US was also absolutist recently when, on the situation in Gaza, the US simply announced it wouldn't entertain any draft statement on a Friday. What goes around comes around.

And what will the US now do and stand up for on Sudan? Watch this site.

Update of 8:33 pm April 20 -- the meeting has broken up. "Robusto," one Deputy Permanent Representative joked to Inner City Press. Another said that "basic understandings" have been reached, now seeking instructions -- or approval.

But another Deputy Permanent Representative coming out, when Inner City Press asked "is robust still in," said, "I really don't know."

Update of April 21, 10 am -- it looks like "robust" is out, replaced by a call for UNAMID to "fully implement" its mandate... Alternatives are to be circulated beyond the P-5 and South Africa to the other Council members.

Update of April 21, 11:30 am -- Inner City Press asked US Ambassador Susan Rice if "robust" is still in the Sudan statement. We're negotiating, she said, adding, that's hardly the most important issue. As we reported, Khartoum sees the DPP being separate from Doha and any conditions as key.

But what will the US do about it? Watch this site.

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At UN on Yemen, Russia Blocks Lebanese & German Security Council Statement Supporting GCC

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, April 19 -- When the UN Security Council got a briefing on Yemen on April 19, a statement was proposed by Germany and Lebanon. But it was not agreed to.

Inner City Press has seen the proposed statement, and it is very simple:

“The members of the Security Council heard a briefing from... on the situation in Yemen.

“They expressed their concern at the political crisis in Yemen, and called on the parties to exercise restraint and to enter into a comprehensive dialogue to realize the legitimate aspirations of the Yemeni people.

“They also expressed their full support to the mediation role of the Gulf Cooperation Council.”

A Western spokesperson told the Press pointedly that “the usual suspects” had blocked this simple statement by saying that they needed instructions from their capitals. Other sources in the Council, however, reduce the suspects to a single one: Russia.

They describe a standoff between the second and third highest diplomats in Russia's Mission to the UN -- top ambassador Vitaly Churkin was not involved -- and Lebanon's Permanent Representative Nawaf Salam.

The Russians, they say, asked Salam why Lebanon wasn't taking the anti-statement position. Salam in turn raised his voice, saying that Russia should be following the Arab countries' lead, and that Russia's Ambassador in Beirut would to asked to explain why not.

Inner City Press will venture this explanation: Russia sees the GCC as a pro-American grouping and does not want to support it.

Ban & Saleh, previously, Russia and 2d term not shown

Another Western spokesman, on background, said that the real purpose of the briefing was to provide support to the Gulf Cooperation Council mediation in Yemen. A well placed UN source told Inner City Press this was wishful thinking, that the GCC process would need outside support or “content.”

The reason for the Western countries deferring to the GCC, he said, was that “probably only a GCC country would be willing to take Yemen's president” Ali Abdullah Saleh if he stepped down.

While the UN Secretariat seems to feel positive about the Security Council session and that it could do more in Yemen than the GCC can, others predict that Russia will not get instructions for the rest of the shortened week, and the statement will die. The questions is whether this is another thing Russia will admonish Ban Ki-moon about during his upcoming visit there. We'll see. Watch this site.

Footnote: As US Ambassador Susan Rice left the meeting, she was asked if Syria had also been discussed. “No,” he said. Why not? Because the topic was Yemen, she said as she left. But Syria did come up in the Security Council during Monday's “horizon” briefing by Lynn Pascoe. Watch this site.

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On Libya, US Says Arming Rebels Is Legal, Deferred Answer on Visas of d'Escoto

By Matthew Russell Lee

WASHINGTON DC, April 14 -- While at its April 14 briefing the US State Department on Libya was primarily asked why it is not arming or funding the rebels, giving more planes or even “whacking” Gaddafi, described as “fist pumping” in a convertible in Tripoli, Inner City Press ask State Department spokesman Mark Toner if allowing funds to the rebels might not result in violations of the arms embargo in UN Security Council resolution 1970.

While the idea is that arming the rebels would require another resolution, beyond 1973, Toner replied that arming the rebels is legal. See transcript:

MR. TONER: We believe that – our understanding of the sanctions and what was prohibited, that this was – this action was legal, that it was lawful.

Inner City Press: How about the arms embargo? How does – I mean, if this – both revenue streams, do you feel that the arms embargo under Resolution 1970, which is a total arms embargo on the country, is this something that you would be discussing with (inaudible)? Do you think – you keep saying that the revenue stream is only for the operation of the government.

MR. TONER: We’ve talked about this before, and what we’ve said is that 1970 – taken in totality, 1970 and 1973 – that it is permissible to get arms to the opposition, and that’s something that remains on the table, certainly. We’ve never taken that option away.

Inner City Press: And could I ask you about visas, too? So also on Libya, there – I’ve tried to ask this to the mission in New York --

MR. TONER: Yeah.

Inner City Press: -- but there was – there were stories saying that Ali Treki, who is the former foreign minister of Libya, was denied a U.S. visa, more recent stories saying that D’Escoto Brockmann, who was named to represent Libya, couldn’t get a visa. Is that true? And what’s the visa status of the two diplomats who left?

MR. TONER: D’Escoto Brockmann is the Nicaraguan?

Inner City Press: Nicaraguan. Absolutely.

D'escoto Brockmann previously at UN, US visa not shown

MR. TONER: Okay. Yeah. I’m trying to remember, but this is a couple weeks ago, I believe, when this was in the news. But we had very real concerns about his status, and I believe we were looking into it, but at the same time, obviously, complying with our obligations as a host nation for the UN. But we felt that he had – we had concerns – there were concerns about his status here that needed to be addressed. I don’t know what the exact status is today of that, though. I’d have to check.

Inner City Press: (Inaudible) the Nicaraguan? His --

MR. TONER: Yes, the Nicaraguan. As far as the Libyan --

Inner City Press: The representatives – yeah, Shalgam and Dabbashi.

MR. TONER: -- representative – I’m not sure what the status of that is. I’ll have to check for you.

Inner City Press: : Okay. Yeah, thanks.

Seven hours later there still was no answered. And while an official of the US Mission to the UN, which has rebuffed Press questions about visas for some time, told Inner City Press that on Libya the legality of UN envoy al Khatib also being paid by Jordan would be publicly addressed this week, it hasn't been. We'll see -- watch this site.

Click for Mar 1, '11 BloggingHeads.tv re Libya, Sri Lanka, UN Corruption

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund. Video Analysis here

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

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