On
Libya,
UN Trio Set,
Rushing to
Electoral
Role,
Desperate
After Martin
Plan Leaked,
Sources Say
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED*
NATIONS,
September 14
-- On
Libya the
UN
Secretariat's
motives and
methods
continue to
draw fire,
from within
the UN to the
shores of
Tripoli.
From
both there was
surprise then
anger that
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon let
Ian "the
Brit" Martin
sit in New
York writing a
plan that
included 200
military
observers and
a continuing
role for NATO
presented as
simply
"a factual
statement."
Click here
for the Martin
Report,
exclusively
obtained
by Inner City
Press.
Following
the publication
of the Martin
Report by
Inner City
Press, the
National
Transitional
Council
rejected it,
and Ban
quickly
scrambled
to come up
with a
non-military
rationale for
immediate UN
involvement
in an NTC-run
Libya. He
fastened on
elections, and
said he would
quickly send
the UN's
experts.
But,
well placed
UN sources
tell Inner
City Press,
many in the UN
Department of
Political
Affairs
including in
the Electoral
Assistance
Unit headed
by the
Canadian Craig
Jenness who
now must "go
for show" to
Libya feel it
is way too
early for
meaningful
visits and
talks about
elections.
They are going
"just because
Ban said so,"
and
"for show."
Meanwhile
anger
continues to
grow among
African DPA
staff, who met
again this
week to
vent their
frustration.
They say that
Libya was in
their shop
until
it got high
profile; then
it was taken
away and
"given to a
Brit," Ian
Martin.
Then,
as Inner City
Press
exclusively
reported, the
Deputy and
Humanitarian
job was
slated for not
an African or
Arab but a
Finn, Georg
Charpentier,
whose work in
Sudan had been
widely
criticized.
Now
they say even
the number
three UN job
on Libya is
going to
another
European, the
German
Hansjoerg
Strohmeyer,
chief of the
Policy
Development
and
Studies branch
with the UN
Office for the
Coordination
of Political
Affairs. Three
top UN jobs on
Libya -- four
if you count
Jenness --
and no
Africans or
Arabs, after
all the
planning was
done in New
York
by a Brit.
(Ex)
"Mediator"
Khatib, Ban
& Martin
on Aug 26, Strohmeyer
not shown
While
countries on
the Security
Council
dubious of
NATO's role
now push for
greater UN
involvement,
the
way Ban's UN
through Martin
did planning
for or on a
country from
afar had led
some in the
TNC to
conclude that
the UN and
NATO are
"similar,"
and now to be
kept out or
kept a close
eye on.
Inner City
Press put
this
question to
DPA chief Lynn
Pascoe,
widely seen in
DPA as a lame
duck, but
Pascoe ducked,
refusing to
explain or
justify the
Martin
Report's line
about a
continuing
role for NATO
or to respond
to
charges that
the UN is no
longer viewed
as impartial.
"They
are
bumbling
forward," a
well placed
DPA source
told Inner
City
Press on
September 13,
"and it is not
going to end
well."
Watch this
site.
*
- with
reporting from
the UN.
, 
