UNITED
NATIONS, July
16 -- Today
the Egyptian
government's
information
service
reported
that
"President
Abdel Fattah
al-Sisi has
received a
phone call
from Special
Envoy of the
United Nations
Secretary-General
for the Sahel
region Romano
Prodi. They
discussed the
latest
regional
developments,
specially the
situation in
Libya and the
Horn of
African, said
Presidency
Spokesman Ihab
Badawy."
But there's a
problem --
Prodi was
replaced as UN
envoy on the
Sahel back on
May 1, by
Hiroute Guebre
Sellassie, who
briefed the UN
Security Council
in that
capacity on
June 19.
So in what
capacity did
Prodi call
Sisi? Inner
City Press is
inquiring -
watch this
site.
Also, how or
why did the Kuwait
News Service,
among others,
"report" on
July 16, 2014
that Prodi is
the UN's enovy
on the Sahel?
Back on June
26, 2013,
Inner City
Press reported
how 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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