On
Syria,
Post-Coup Fiji
Sends
Observers, UN
Stonewalls,
Araud
Won't Speak
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 8 -- As
envoy Kofi
Annan briefed
the UN
Security
Council
about Syria on
Tuesday, it
remained
unclear from
the Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations how
many
observers, and
from where,
are in
the country.
Finland,
which is
running for a
seat on the
Security
Council next
year, sent two
observers in
the first
deployment,
and has spoken
of eight more.
At
what
seemed another
campaign event
across the
street from
the UN on
Tuesday
morning, the
Institutional
moderator
said, "You are
sending
observers to
Syria, I am
not sure what
my question
is, but
that is an
interesting
situation."
Interesting,
indeed.
Even
more
interesting,
in terms of
Kofi Annan's
time as UN
Secretary
General,
is the
inclusion of
eight
observers from
Fiji. While he
was S-G,
Annan
announced that
no new
deployments of
Fijian
peacekeepers
would
be accepted,
given the coup
d'etat in that
country.
Now
with the coup
leader
Commodore
Voreqe
Bainimarama
still in
place, Fiji is
sending
eight
observers to
Kofi's (or,
the
Kofi-affiliated)
mission in
Syria. Inner
City Press has
asked his
spokesman
Ahmad Fawzi:
"beyond
the
[12 day old]
budget
questions, can
you comment on
the fact that
when Mr. Annan
was UN S-G he
said DPKO
should cease
new
deployments
of Fijian
peacekeepers
in light of
the coup, and
now Fiji is
sending
observers on
this mission
to Syria,
while still
led by the
coup
leader?
"11
substantive
international
staff (1 USG,
2 ASG, 2 D-2,
2 P-5, 2 P-4,
2
P-3) -- are
the two
deputies the
ASGs? Which of
the other
position
have already
been filled or
designated,
and by whom?
"Likewise,
what
(and how high)
are the
"extra-budgetary
resources" for
three
Political
Affairs
Officers for
six months,
and a Senior
Advisor
for three
months? Has
the Senior
Advisor been
chosen? Who?
And, the
"refurbishment
of office
space
($30,000)" --
which office
is this?"
We
will report
answers when
received.
On
the way into
the Security
Council, the
press asked
Ambassadors
Susan Rice of
the
US and Gerard
Araud of
France, as
well as Herve
Ladsous the
fourth
Frenchman in a
row atop UN
Peacekeeping,
if they would
speak after
the briefing.
Ladsous
said, in
French and
then English,
"We'll see."
Then it was
revealed
that he will
not speak.
Ambassador
Rice
said,
"Probably,"
although it
the time
overlaps with
Annan's
stakeout set
for 5:30 pm
Geneva time
this may not
happened.
Araud,
who was
not seen at
the Security
Council's
meeting on
Guinea Bissau
on May 7,
the day after
Nicolas
Sarkozy and by
implication
foreign
minister
Alain Juppe
were voted out
of power,
appeared on
May 8 and said
that
he will not
speak.
Araud
said, "We are
in an
electoral
period in
France, so I
am awaiting my
new
authorities to
arrive." Some
are
hoping that
means a new
Permanent
Representative,
including in
the
spirit of the
Arab Spring.
Watch this
site.
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