US to
Host
Peacekeeping
Summit, No Q
on Sexual
Abuse, Of
Modi, Waldorf
& Tesla
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 24
--
Before US
President
Barack Obama
comes to New
York and the
UN from
September 27
to 29, three
Senior
Administration
Officials took
questions from
journalists
for an hour on
September 24,
previewing
among other
events Obama's
UN
Peacekeeping
summit set for
September 28.
But none
of the
officials, nor
the called-on
journalists,
asked about
the widely
publicized
sexual abuse
scandals in UN
Peacekeeping
or what
reforms the US
will push for.
On
September 23,
Inner City
Press asked
three
representatives
of the
Government of
India -- on
the record,
not on
background --
what they want
out of the
Peacekeeping
summit. More
respect for
Troop
Contributing
Countries, was
the answer,
days after UN Peacekeeping chief Herve
Ladsous'
linkage of
rapes to
“R&R”
was deemed a
TCC insult.
The US
officials said
that Obama
will be
pushing Indian
Prime Minister
Modi on the
environment to
see what he'll
commit to. By
contrast, the
Indian
officials on
September 23
spoke of Modi
going to the
West Coast to
look into
environmental
firms,
including the
battery
technology of
Tesla, to
store
sustainably
produced
energy.
(Modi,
it is said, is
staying in the
Waldorf suite
where Obama
used to stay,
before moving
to the New
York Palace
after charges
of Chinese
spying. It is
at the New
York Palace
that the US
administration
will be
holding most
of its
bilateral
meetings and
events, which
Inner City
Press will
cover as much
as possible.)
There
were two
questions
about Cuba; Al
Arabiya was
called on but
was not on the
line. There
were questions
to be asked,
too, about UN
reform. But
they will have
to wait. Watch
this site.
India has been
the largest
contributor to
UN
Peacekeeping
-- 185,000
troops in 44
of the UN's
total of 69
missions -- so
Inner City
Press on
September 23
at the Waldorf
Astoria after
the arrival of
Indian Prime
Minister Modi
asked what
India is
looking for
from the
Peacekeeping
summit Modi
will attend on
September 28.
India's
Ambassador to
the UN Ashoke
Mukerje
replied that
India would
like Troop
Contributing
Countries to
be consulted
more
meaningfully,
citing Article
44 of the UN
Charter; he
emphasized
India's
skilled
personnel and
the protection
of civilians.
Periscope
video here.
Inner City
Press asked
about DPKO
boss Ladsous'
comments
linking rapes
to “R&R,”
Mukerje's
earlier
response is
below.
(The
venue of
Modi's meeting
with Obama is
not yet clear;
the G4 Summit
will occur
Saturday
September 26
at 8 am in the
Waldorf, after
which Modi
heads to the
West Coast
including,
yes, Facebook.
The buzz at
the Indian
press
conference was
how large the
(Empire) room
was, and of
Modi staying
in what used
to be Obama's
and other US
Presidents'
suite.)
When
peacekeepers
from France
allegedly
raped children
in the Central
African
Republic and
the UN learned
about it more
than a year
ago, the UN
and UNICEF did
nothing,
until French
UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous asked
to fire the
whistleblower
Anders Kompass
in March of
this year, as
stated in two
UN
Dispute
Tribunal
rulings.
On
September 11,
refusing to
answer on
this, Ladsous
instead linked
the rapes to
soldiers' lack
of
"distraction"
and saying
rapes could be
avoided by
some
"relatively
cheap
R&R," and
adding that
some "South
Asia"Troop
Contributing
Countries do
just that. Video here.
On
September 17,
Inner City
Press asked
the Permanent
Representative
of India,
Asoke K
Mukerji, and
his Deputy
Bhagwant
Bishnoi about
what Ladsous
said. Video
here.
First,
Bhagwant
Bishnoi
distinguished
India from
what Ladsous
said, saying
they only
rotate troops
in the most
difficult
circumstances.
In some, one a
year, if more
volatile, more
often.
Then
Ambassador
Mukerji said
clear, India's
is a
professional
army, not a
part time
army, there
are no
"R&R"
trips and that
is for whoever
said it to
explain. Video
here.
That
would be
Ladsous, who
refuses to
answer Press
questions. He
took no
questions as
he rushed out
of the
Security
Council on
September 17.
(India's
Prime Minister
will
participate in
the high level
meeting on
peacekeeping
on September
28, which
we'll cover.)
On
September 17,
the UN Mission
in CAR,
MINUSCA,
issued this
statement now
about a
pornographic
film involving
peacekeepers:
"The United
Nations
Multidimensional
Integrated
Stabilization
Mission in the
Central
African
Republic
(MINUSCA) is
deeply
concerned at
reports of a
pornographic
film
circulating in
the city of
Batangafo,
center-west of
the Central
African
Republic,
which
allegedly
involves
peacekeepers.
"MINUSCA
immediately
took steps to
try to verify
these
disturbing
allegations.
To this end,
MINUSCA met
with the Mayor
and the Deputy
Prefect of the
locality, and
with
representative
of the local
population.
"A fact
finding
mission also
visited Kabo,
about 55 km
from
Batangafo, to
raise the
issue with the
Mayor and the
Deputy Prefect
and members of
the local
community.
"To date,
MINUSCA’s
contacts with
the
authorities
and local
residents have
not provided
any evidence
to
substantiate
the
allegations of
a film
involving UN
personnel.
However, the
Mission is
committed to
establishing
the truth and
requests that
anyone in
possession of
evidence to
substantiate
these
allegations
should submit
this to the
Mission’s
attention.
This may be
done via any
MINUSCA
office.
"MINUSCA would
like to
reiterate its
strict
adherence to
the United
Nations’ zero
tolerance
policy with
regard to all
acts of
misconduct and
sexual
exploitation
and abuse."
One wag
said, once
Ladsous linked
rapes to
recreation,
this should
not be
surprising.
On
September 15
MINUSCA
disclosed yet
another
"allegation of
sexual
exploitation
committed by
one of its
civilian
staff."
Inner City
Press:
Since Mr.
[Hervé]
Ladsous said
that one of
the reasons
these abuses
take place is
people don't
leave the
country and go
for R&R
elsewhere for
recreation,
one could say,
how long has
the person
been in the
country?
Spokesman:
Matthew, I
think… I think
you continue
to gain great
pleasure in
distorting
what Mr.
Ladsous said…
Inner City
Press:
You can read
the
transcript.
He said…
Spokesman:
Listen, I
think you
raised that
issue
yesterday.
I answered
clearly this
is a case… a
possible case
of sexual
abuse, which
is to be
condemned and
which will be
pursued as far
as we can,
both
internally and
with the
relevant
judicial
authorities.
Inner City
Press:
How long has
it been since
the person
left the
country?
The reason I
ask is that he
made the
linkage.
He's the one
that brought
up people
traveling…
[Cross talk -
actually, talk
over, by
scribes]
Spokesman:
Matthew, I
will say this
one last
time.
Civilian staff
and military
staff work
under two
different
regimes.
So you're… to
compare
soldiers that
have been
in-country in
very difficult
circumstances
for three
years and
civilian staff
is not to be
comparable.
Yes, ma'am?
Inner City
Press: I'd
wanted to ask
you this on
Friday or Mr.
Ladsous, but I
want to ask
you, from this
podium, he
said, in
discussing
rapes, he said
that
peacekeepers
there don't
have enough
recreation,
that they
don't have
enough
comfort.
He said that
they are
looking into
getting them
flights to get
them fresh
air, and
although he
did use the
word, he's not
excusing
it. I'm
going to tell,
many people
saw this as
basically a
statement that
somehow
linking the
rapes to a
lack of other
distractions…
Spokesman
Dujarric:
I think… I
think it's a
complete
misinterpretation
of what Mr.
Ladsous
said. He
stressed a
number of
times that
there was no
excuse...
Inner City
Press:
Then what
about the
flights?
I'm sorry.
Spokesman:
I'm a little
over-caffeinated
with me today
so just bear
with me.
He repeatedly
said that
there was no
excuse for
rape.
Okay.
That is
clear.
That is UN
policy, and I
think that's
everyone's
policy.
There is no
excuse for
rape.
What he said
in talking
about the case
of one
contingent
that had been
deployed in
basically a
very hardship
peacekeeping
operation for
more than
three
years.
When troops
are not
rotated, when
troops don't
have an
opportunity to
be rotated out
for [rest and
recuperation]
and that's
true for any
armed forces,
it creates the
conditions
where there
can be all
sorts of abuse
or other
things
developing.
It is not an
excuse for
rape.
And I think
it's clear
that we have
seen rape and
horrendous
sexual abuse
by soldiers in
many parts of
the
world.
Some of them
come from very
rich
armies.
Some come from
very poor
armies.
There is no
excuse.
What he was
saying and I
think people
would agree
with it, that
three years
for any
contingent
being
stationed in
very difficult
circumstances
is too long.
Inner City
Press: I
guess what I
want to say,
US military,
an admiral in
the Pacific
was fired for
comments
exactly like
that for which
the person…
the person
excused
himself and
apologized… he
said
distraction,
comfort.
Spokesman:
Matthew,
Matthew.
I read what
you wrote.
I'm aware of
the other
case. I
think they're
complete…
they're not
comparable.
Inner City
Press:
Where are the
flights
going?
Where are the
[rest and
recuperation]
flights
going?
Spokesman:
I will come
back…
Back in
1995 for
similar
comments, US
Admiral
Richard C.
Macke was
fired, as
reported in
the LA
Times and
the New
York Times,
which said
Macke
"apologized
after members
of Congress
and Japanese
officials
complained,
but it was too
late.... A
senior White
House official
said tonight
that Anthony
Lake, the
national
security
adviser, had
heard of
Admiral
Macke's
remarks and
told the
Defense
Department
that the
statements
were 'not
acceptable.'"
Anthony
Lake is now in
the UN system,
as the head of
UNICEF
- does he
think UN
Peacekeeping
chief Ladsous'
similar
comments in
2015 are
acceptable? Or
does he,
apparently
like his and
some other
major member
states, hope
no one notices
what Ladsous
says and,
worse, does?
UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon has
yet to act.
Nor have
Ladsous'
French
sponsors, who
dumped
him on the UN
after he'd
previously
been rejected
for the post
by Ban's
predecessor
Kofi Annan,
said anything.
When
Inner City
Press started
asking about
this, Ladsous
took to saying
"I
don't respond
to you,
Mister," right
on UNTV.
Instead he
summoned
Agence France
Presse,
Reuters and
others to
private
briefings, as
here
in the hall.
These media
didn't report
Ladsous'
antics -- nor
despite being
present at
Ladsous'
September 11
press
conference did
they report
his linkage of
soldiers'
rapes to their
lack of
"comfort" or
R&R. This
is today's UN.
It was
Senegalese
Babacar Gaye,
the head of
the CAR
mission, and
not overall
Peacekeeping
chief Ladsous
who was fired
by UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon; Inner
City Press
obtained and
put Gaye's
letter online
here (credited
here and here) citing
systemic
problems.
Before
Ladsous'
carefully
controlled
four day visit
to the country
- no questions
on the
peacekeeper
rapes,
colonial
photographs
sent out - UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric told
Inner City
Press, which
asked, that
Ladsous would
take questions
when he
returned,
including
about
peacekeepers'
sexual abuse.
But when
Ladsous
appeared at
the September
11 UN noon
briefing, UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric for
the second
time did not
allow Inner
City Press to
ask Ladsous a
single
question.
Dujarric gave
the first
question to
the UN
Correspondents
Association,
which after a
perfunctory
questions
about the
number of
sexual abuse
cases said its
“real”
question was
if Ladsous
will meet
Obama. (Yes,
apparently,
and
inappropriately,
see below). Video here.
Inner
City Press
prepared to
ask Ladsous an
obvious
question: what
is his
response to
appearing in
at least two
UN Dispute
Tribunal
rulings as
having tried
to get the
whistleblower
Kompass fired?
But Dujarric
gave the
second
question to a
Reuters
reporter
who has
previously
channeled
Ladsous, then
to Agence
France Presse,
whose UN
reporter in
2011 asked
UNCA's board
to act on
Inner City
Press'
reporting on
Ladsous.
Even with the
questions
allowed,
Ladsous'
answers should
get him fired.
First,
speaking of
sexual abuse,
he said he
didn't want to
“deflower”
the subject.
Vine here.
Then
explaining the
peacekeepers'
rapes he said
that a
solution would
be to get them
more
“recreation”
(translating
back and forth
with Dujarric,
Ladsous began
to say “R and
R”).
Ladsous
was asked,
what do you
mean? He said
that Asian
countries are
good at this.
We'll have
more, but on
top of his
role in covering
up rapes in DR
Congo, Darfur
and now CAR,
this should
get Ladsous
fired. More here.
, 
