On
Syria, "ICC 5"
Promote Doomed
Referral Plan,
France No
Answers on
Mali
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 18 --
After the
Syria briefing
of UN High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights Navi
Pillay, five
Security
Council
Permanent
Representatives
came to tell
the press of
their
countries'
support for
referring the
matter to the
International
Criminal
Court.
The
countries were
France and the
UK, and new
members
Australia,
Luxembourg and
South Korea.
They
said that "one
country" in
the closed
door meeting
was
against
referral to
the ICC. When
they finished,
another
Security
Council member
told Inner
City Press
this was far
from true,
that
there is much
more extensive
opposition in
the Council.
Of
Pillay
herself, on
Syria, Inner
City Press
asked why her
Office
outsourced its
study of
casualties to
Benetech,
a firm funded
by the
US State
Department,
and wouldn't
disclose which
two other
companies
her spokesman
says were
considered,
or even what
the criteria
for
selection
were. Click
here for that.
Pillay
said Benetech
worked on
Kosovo; she
did not answer
on her
Office's
lack of
transparency
on this. Video
here, from
Minute 5:25.
(Pillay
answered
another Inner
City Press
question,
which we'll
separately
report.)
Of
Security
Council
president
Masood Khan,
Inner City
Press asked if
the
hostages in
Algeria had
been raised --
Inner City
Press had
heard the
UK had raised
it, but wanted
this confirmed
-- and if
France has
given any
update to the
Security
Council on its
military
intervention
in Mali.
Khan
told Inner
City Press
that France
has given no
such update --
this
even as more
legal and
political
questions are
arising about
France's
intervention
at the
invitation of
Malian
authorities
including coup
leader Amadou
Sanogo.
Khan confirmed
that the
Algeria issue
arose, and
may give rise
to a press
statement.
But
when French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud,
UK Ambassador
Lyall Grant
and
the three
other
representatives
who did not
speak (welcome
to
the Security
Council!)
came out, no
question about
Mali was
allowed.
Araud's
spokesman
directed the
microphone (at
least he
didn't seize
the mic, like
another UN
Frenchman).
After a slew
of questions
along the line
of
how Assad
could be
referred to
the ICC
despite
opposition in
the
Security
Council, it
was over.
So
the French
Mission to the
UN not only
does not
update the
Security
Council as its
bombings in
Mali killed
civilians and
have
cross-border
impacts --
they also
don't select
questions on
the
topic. Watch
this site.
, 
