UN's
12 on Libya Officially Dips to 11, Ukraine Is Out, Turkish Ships
& NATO
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 24, updated -- On Libya, Ukraine was quietly dropped on
Thursday from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's list of countries
which have notified the UN under Security Council resolution 1973,
two days after Ban's
spokesman Martin Nesirky told the Press that
Ukraine was correctly on the list.
On
March 23, Inner
City Press asked Nesirky if there were not really 11 instead of the
listed 12 notifiers, having been told by Council sources that Ukraine
should no longer be included on the list of notifiers:
Inner
City
Press: I noticed you didn’t have any new update of these
notifications under resolution 1973, but this morning I was told by a
diplomat there that in fact the Ukraine one, listed yesterday, may
not be an actual notification. That they’ve written to the Council
saying that they might want to extract their nationals from Libya,
but with no indication that they were indeed supporting militarily. Is
that your understanding? Have you seen the letters?
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
If you listened to what I said yesterday, Matthew, I said
that the notifications do not necessarily mean that they are taking
part in any military action. They are notifying, under the terms of
the resolution. And notifying under the terms of the resolution
would include precisely the kind of message that you’re referring
to.
Inner
City
Press: So we shouldn’t take this list to be people that are in
any way in support of the no-fly zone?...
Spokesperson
Nesirky:
I can’t be responsible for what people write. I’m
trying to make it clear from here, which I did yesterday.
But
obviously
something changed, because when Ban read out a list of notifiers to
the Security Council on Thursday, Ukraine was suddenly gone. Belated
transparency -- but is there a system in place?
Earlier
on
Thursday, Inner City Press learned and reported that Turkey has asked
the UN for a communication to NATO. After further reporting from
multiple sources, Inner City Press has learned Turkey is concerned
about, and wants to use, its civilians ships still in Libya near
Benghazi. More on this to follow --- watch this site.
Update of 4:05 pm --
a Libyan (anti Gaddafi) diplomat tells Inner City Press that "with
NATO's agreement, the Turkish request is no longer important." We'll
see.
* * * *
At
UN
on Libya, Ban Behind Closed Doors, Ukraine Clarifies, Turkey's
Request
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 24 -- The involvement of the UN and Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon in the military action on Libya is meant to give the
action and bombing legitimacy.
But there has been little transparency
to date about Ban and Libya, beginning with who pays
his envoy Abdul
Ilah Al-Khatib, click here for that.
But
even Ban's
briefing to the Security Council on March 24 will be two thirds or
more in secret. The Council presidency has told Inner City Press that
after a “one page” open briefing by Ban on Resolution 1973, he
will move behind closed doors to brief on “The Situation in Libya,”
then about his protested trips to Egypt and Tunisia.
His
short briefing
on 1973 will involving enumerating the countries which have provided
notifications under the resolution. This is currently presented as
twelve, but as Inner City Press reported
on March 23, the status of
Ukraine is in flux.
Ukraine
provided
notice, then sent subsequent letters that all they want to do is come
in to take their nationals out. Now moves are afoot to create two
lists: those supporting military action, and those providing notice
for a exemption from the no fly zone.
Even the
African Union may have
to provide such a notice -- but it has not supported the military
action.
Now
Turkey is
asking the UN to provide some clarification to NATO, and the UN
Department of Political Affairs is not sure how to respond.
The
Libya
Sanctions committee provided for by resolution 1970 has yet to meet.
Now, Inner City Press is informed that it will meet on March 25, then
brief the Council on short turn around on March 28. Will all these
sessions be closed? Watch this site.
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