As
US
Blake Opposes
Sri Lankan
General Silva
as UN Adviser,
French PR
Araud No
Comments &
Worse
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 28, updated
-- While
countries like
Pakistan have
tried to help
the UN's image
by urging that
Sri Lankan
general
Shavendra
Silva, whose
58th Division
is depicted in
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
Panel of
Experts report
as engaged in
war crimes,
not continue
as on the
Senior
Advisory Group
on
Peacekeeping
Operations,
the French
putative
owners of UN
Peacekeeping
have had
nothing to
say.
Herve
Ladsous,
the fourth
Frenchman in
row atop the
UN Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations,
has evaded the
issue
including at a
recent press
conference.
On February
28, after SAG
chairperson
Louise
Frechette said
it would not
be appropriate
for Silva to
participate
and Sri
Lanka fought
back in the
Asia Group,
Inner City
Press asked
French
Permanent
Representative
Gerard Araud
if France
thinks Silva
should be on
the SAG.
Araud
hesitated,
then said
nothing and
continued.
Silence, as
they say, is
consent.
French foreign
minister Alain
Juppe is
speechifying
in Geneva that
"there can be
no impunity"
with regard to
Syria. But on
this issue,
whether
French-dominated
UN
Peacekeeping
should be
advised by an
alleged war
criminal,
France has
nothing to say
at the UN. At
least
publicly....
[Photo
removed March
30, 2012]
spin of DPKO
& war
criminal not
shown
Publicly,
on Twitter, US
Assistant
Secretary of
State Robert
Blake on
Tuesday took
Inner City
Press' question:
"What does US
say to Asia
Group mulling
backing Gen
Shavendra
Silva as UN
adviser, &
Ban Ki-moon
being silent?"
Blake
responded,
publicly,
"Appointment
was
inappropriate
given lack of
independent
investigation
into end of
war
circumstances."
By
contrast,
not only did
Araud say
nothing
publicly --
privately,
Inner City
Press is
informed, he
has been
defending
Ladsous and
Ban Ki-moon's
inaction,
claiming they
have no
jurisdiction
at all, and
even
undermining Frechette's
determination.
We can have
more on this.
France is the
home of human
rights?
Hardly.
, 
