By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, June
9 -- When the
UN's envoy to
Libya Tarek
Mitri briefed
the UN
Security
Council on
June 9, he
cited the
detention in
al-Hadhba
prison "of an
UNSMIL's senior
staff
attending as
observer the
trial session
of 11 May."
Mitri
said, "his
personal
effects have
not been
returned. We
suspended the
attendance of
our staff to
other trial
sessions until
the case of
our colleague
is fully resolved."
Inner City
Press asked
Mitri at the
Security
Council
stakeout, isn't
that just what
the prison
authorities
want? For
there to be no
outside
observation?
Mitri replied
that he could
not speak to
the motivation
of those who
detained the
UN staff. But
to others it
seemed clear:
moments later
at the
stakeout an
analogy was
made to police
saying, we won't
go to the
crime-filled
community
anymore as a
response to
them shooting
at us.
Except that
the UN is
hardly
operating as
police --
witness the
UN's inaction
on the 130
rapes in
Minova in the
DR Congo after
only two
soldiers were
convicted.
Background:
With the UN
winding down
in DR Congo,
as in Burundi,
Libya is one
of the few
countries
where the UN
could play the
mediating role
for which it
was created.
Issues like
Israel and
Palestine,
Iran and North
Korea have
been taken
from it; it
has shown
itself
one-sided on
Ukraine.
But Libya? Why
not?
On May 19,
after days of
chaos
throughout
Libya, Inner
City Press
went to the UN's
noon briefing
and asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric
if the UN had
any comment or
response to
the storming
of the
parliament and
the seizure of
airports,
which have led
to the closure
of countries'
embassies and
consultates in
the country.
No, Dujarric
had nothing.
Later on May
19 a one page
press release
was placed in
his UN
Spokesperson's
Office -- not
emailed out
nor announced
by email -- in
which the
UNSMIL
mission, with
none of its
officials
quoted,
“expressed
deep concern.”
Why is the UN
phoning it in,
even on Libya?
Sources tell
Inner City
Press that
Secretary
General's
envoy in Libya
Tarek Mitri,
“a perfectly
nice guy,” has
shown little
interest in
Libya -- they
say he hoped
to get a
position in
the new
government of
his native
Lebanon but it
did not come
through.
Mitri
was
Information
Minister when
Fouad Siniora
was prime
minister. But
for now he
hasn't gotten
a new Lebanon
post.
Why isn't he
even quoted in
UNSMIL's bland
and belated
May 19 press
release? This
is the state
of the UN at
present. This
is its legacy.
While
the UN talks a
lot about
women's rights
and political
participation,
activists in
Libya tell
Inner City
Press a
different
story.
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