As Libya UN Deputy
Slams Gadhafi,
Murabak
Rep Remains, Bahrain to Decide?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 21 -- Even as Mubarak fled Egypt, his Ambassador at
the UN Maged Abdelaziz kept his job, even though he was a quasi
Cabinet member. But with Colonel
Moammar Gadhafi teetering but still
in Libya, his Deputy Ambassador at the UN Ibrahim Al Dabashi called
for him to step down.
First
he was
quoted "After we have seen what is happening in Libya and after
the kind of declaration of war against the Libyan people which has
been declared by the son of Qaddafi yesterday, we find that it is
impossible to stay silent and we have to [convey] the voice of the
Libyan people to the world. First let me say that we state clearly
that the Libyan mission is a mission for the Libyan people."
What
about Yemen's
mission? The Yemeni Permanent Representative to the UN is known to be
looking for a UN job. Or the mission of Bahrain, where a protest is
scheduled for
February 22?
Dabashi previously at UN
Al
Dabashi is well
known to the UN Press, from when Libya was on the Security Council.
But if the UN still recognizes Gadhafi, as made clear by Ban
Ki-moon's belated telephone call to him, who now represents Libya at
the UN? Watch this site.
* * *
As
Libya
Kills Protesters, Gadhafi Daughter is UN Ambassador, UNDP Silent
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 20 -- As in Libya the forces, including
mercenaries, of Colonel Moammar Gadhafi shoot and kill peaceful
protesters, the UN has been nearly entirely silent.
On
the morning of February 20, Inner City Press asked UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky:
In
the
wake of the gunning down of 46 democracy protesters in Libya’s
second largest city, Benghazi, by security forces under the command
of Colonel Gadafi, is the UN reassessing its relationship with Col
Gadhafi’s daughter, Aicha, who the UN has designated a “Goodwill
Ambassador?
Has
the
Secretary-General sought to use the UN’s special relationship
with its Goodwill Ambassador Dr Aicha Gadhafi to persuade her father
not to use such excessive force against peaceful demonstrators?
Nine
hours later,
no response at all from the UN. Inner City Press also asked Ban's
spokesman Nesirky “in this context, the Secretary-General's planned
trip to California to meet and greet 'the entertainment industry,'
how much is this trip costing, and is it funded by the Regular Budget
of the UN -- and if not, what is the funding source?” Again, no
answer.
On February
17,
Inner City Press had asked Nesirky
Inner
City
Press: Is there any thought of using the existing UN programs on
the ground, whether it is UNDP or
otherwise? There was some
criticism of this training of police in Egypt
prior to the — there
was criticism by NGOs that it didn’t bring in human rights
activists but rather Government people. Is there some thinking of
how — the UNDP website about Libya hasn’t been updated now in
several months, I guess — it seems to some, due to the turmoil. What
about these UN…?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Who might that be? Who is it, these people who think it
might be?
Inner
City
Press: People that look at it and have seen that it was updated
all the way, until suddenly there was turmoil in the country and then
it is not updated any more.
UN's Ban and Gadhafi, Goodwill Ambassador daughter not shown
Inner
City Press: What’s the role, according to the
Secretary-General, of the existing UN programmes in countries like
Libya and Yemen, where Helen Clark visited and didn’t say anything
about democracy?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Well, there are lots of, as you know, across the region,
there is a UN presence in different constellations; country teams
with different components, whether it is UNDP or other UN agencies,
funds and programmes. Of course, given that they are already on the
ground, given that they have been working there in different
capacities on different projects, they are well placed to be further
involved. But this is part of a bigger picture, and it is being very
carefully coordinated.
Inner
City
Press: Is there any change of policy? I guess I am saying,
given that the announcement today that the UN is sort of taking
cognizance of all this, is there, is that…?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
Well, Matthew, it’s hardly an announcement today. This
is something that has been said consistently for a number of weeks
now. And indeed, further back, as you know, the Human Development
Reports on the Arab world have been saying this for the best part of
a decade. So, okay, thank you very much.
But
what had the UN
been doing about Libya? Watch this site.
* * *
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