On
W.
Sahara, UN
Drops
"Referendum
for
Self-Determination"
From April 6
Report
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 11 -- In
what is
becoming an
annual ritual
of craven
ineptitude,
the UN
Secretariat of
Ban Ki-moon
and Frenchman
Herve
Ladsous have
again crudely
watered down
their report
on Western
Sahara.
Inner
City Press
is today
putting online
the versions
of April
6, 2012, which
had a
discussion of
the referendum
on
self-determination
for which the
UN
mission
MINURSO was
set up, and
the changed
version of
April 11,
which drops
the reference,
and more.
The
April
6 version
said that
MINURSO was
"intended
to
operate for
three critical
purposes: 1)
as an
instrument of
stability in
the event that
the political
stalemate
continues; 2)
as
a mechanism to
implement
a referendum
on
self-determination
in the
event that the
talks led by
my Personal
Envoy are
successful;
and 3)
to provide
independent
information on
conditions in
the Territory
to
the
Secretariat,
the Security
Council, and
the
international
community."
The
revised
April 11
version
changes 2) to
"as
a
mechanism to support
implementation
of successive
Security
Council
resolutions
related to the
mandate of
MINURSO
(the United
Nations
Mission for
the Referendum
in Western
Sahara)."
Compare
April
6
version, here,
especially
from Paragraph
114, with April 11 changed
version, here.
This
happened
last year,
though it took
an actual leak
to Inner City
Press
to expose it.
This year, the
UN did it
openly, after
having
circulated the
April 6
version.
While most
attribute the
changes to
pressure from
Morocco, which
this year
unlike last is
a member of
the
Security
Council,
active not
only on
Western Sahara
and often
positively,
Inner City
Press would
put more of
the blame, or
shame, on the
Secretariat of
Ban Ki-moon
and Ladsous,
the fourth
Frenchman in a
row to head
the UN
Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations.
Already
Ladsous has
been written
to with this
complaint:
"Dear
Mr.
Ladsous. I am
concerned by
the fact that
the UNSG
report whose
copy has been
already sent
to the UNSC
members and
the parties
(Morocco news
agency MAP has
already
published
several parts
of the
report) still
not available
on the UN web
site. I
learned that
once
again Morocco
is trying to
force changes
on some
specific
paragraphs
contained in
the
'recommendations
and
observations.'
This attempt
is
showing
nothing more
nothing less
than is not
only MINRSDO
on the
ground which
is submitted
to
'unacceptable
established
practices'
imposed by
Morocco but
also the UN
headquarters."
But
Ladsous and
Ban Ki-moon
who appointed
him appear to
be more and
more
shameless.
How will they
explain these
changes? How
will envoy
Christopher
Ross
respond? His
briefing is
scheduled for
April 17. And
what's called
the Group of
Friends on
Western Sahara
are, without
AU input,
negotiating a
draft
resolution, on
which we'll
have more.
Watch this
site.
, 
