At
UN
as Ban Fetes Le Roy, Bonnafont as Successor Scoop by Press Confirmed by
2 & Griped Of by More
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 25 -- While outgoing UN Peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy
was being toasted by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at a Monday night
reception thrown by French ambassador Gerard Araud, across town two
separate ambassadors confirmed Inner City Press' July 5
story naming
Le Roy's successor: Jerome Bonnafont.
That
Bonnafont is
also French, when France is hardly a major troop contributing
country, has been more and more noticed by other member states of the
UN. “Does France own DPKO?” one Permanant Representative asked. The
answer appears to be yes.
When
Ban Ki-moon
became Secretary General he spoke of reform and meritocracy. But
posts like that atop the Department of Peacekeeping Operations are
held for particular states, seemingly without regard to the job
experience of the person they put forward.
Bonnafont at Men's Fashion Week in New Delhi, 9/11/09
What
are
Bonnafont's military credentials? Who in the UN system is reviewing
them? There are questions not only for the French, but for Ban
Ki-moon and others. Watch this site.
* * *
With
Le
Roy
To Leave UN Within 6 Weeks, Bonnafont As Next French Peacekeeping
Chief, Sources Tell Press
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee, Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
July
5 -- On the day France was
questioned in the Security
Council about arguably violating Council resolutions 1970 and 1973 in
Libya, the name of a French diplomat to replace Alain Le Roy as
head of UN Peacekeeping was leaked to Inner City Press: Jerome
Bonnafont.
Weeks
before
Le
Roy announced he will leave on or before August 23, Inner City Press
reported that he would leave. At the time, the favorite to replace
him was Eric Chevalier, an aide to Bernard Kouchner in Kosovo.
Some
pointed
out
riffs between Kouchner and President Sarkozy, and Chevalier's lack of
military experience. One senior UN official said of Chevalier, “It
would be a disaster.” For that reason or not, well placed sources
in the UN North Lawn building say the new name is Jerome Bonnafont.
Bonnafont
has
served
most recently as French Ambassador to India, and before that
as Spokesman to to President of the French Republic. Like Chevalier,
he has no visible military experience.
While in
India, he puffed up
France's involvement in Afghanistan. He has paraded at Men's Fashion
Week in New Delhi on September 11, 2009. The sources describe
Bonnafont as an “order taker.” But from where? Watch this site.
* * *
On
Libya,
After
France Brags of Breaking Embargo, It Says Others Like Qatar Can
Too: Russia “Expected” to Pursue
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July
5, updated -- After bragging
about air-dropping weapons to
rebels in Western Libya, France now claims that others can step in.
French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet was quoted
July
5 that the
rebels' “autonomy allows them to establish relations with external
partners, including when it comes to equipping themselves in
self-defense.”
There
is
a UN
Security Council arms embargo on Libya, on all sides of the conflict.
Inner City Press on Tuesday morning outside the Council asked the
chairman of the Libya Sanctions committee, Portugal's Permanent
Representative Cabral, if there has been any move to consider if
France's admitted actions violated the embargo.
“We are
expecting the Russians to raise it today,” Cabral told Inner City
Press before going back into the Council for a closed door meeting,
initially on July's program of work under the new German presidency.
Sarkozy glad-hands Ban, notification under
Reso
1973 and top DPKO post not shown
Since
France's
admission,
Gaddafi's forces say they have intercepted weapons from
Qatar meant for the rebels. With Qatar having just acquired the
Presidency of the UN General Assembly, among other posts and events,
things could get interesting. Watch this site.
Update
of
11:52
am -- after the consultations broke up, Western sources said
that French ambassador Gerard Araud argued at length why dropped arms
into Libya is “notwithstanding” legal, and claimed there was
little opposition. The Russian delegation told Inner City Press “we
cannot agree,” and said they asked Libya sanctions chair Cabral to
convene a meeting of the committee.
Cabral
himself
told
Inner City Press that no meeting has been scheduled and he
doubts that one will before UN part time envoy Al Khatib comes to
brief the Security Council on July 11. We'll see.
Update
of
12:52
pm -- At German Permanent Representative Wittig's 12:30
press conference about the Security Council's program of work during
his month as president, Inner City Press asked him about the
morning's closed door consultations at which France's dropping of
weapons was discussed. He acknowledged it was discussed but said that
there was “no agreement.”
So
even a meeting
of the Sanctions Committee on this issue was blocked? July 11 will
be al Khatib.
, 
