In US
Power's Wrap
Up, Qs of
Burundi Trip
& Syria
Diaspora,
Farewell to
Five
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 22 --
When US
Ambassador
Samantha Power
and four other
Security
Council
Ambassadors
presented
December's
work to the
wider UN
membership on
Tuesday, some
non-Council
members took
the chance to
ask questions.
Inner City
Press is
informed, for
example, that
Switzerland's
Permanent
Representative,
who is the
chair of the
Peacebuilding
Configuration
on Burundi,
asked about
the country,
specifically
when the
Council will
visit.
While
in the
Council's
public session
on Tuesday it
was said,
January, in
answer to
Switzerland it
was disclosed
that the
Pierre
Nkurunziza
government has
not yet
approved the
visit (which,
it was said,
might take
place in late
January.)
Questions were
raised about
the Syrian
diaspora
voting, when
the time
comes, and
about
Palestine.
This last,
Inner City
Press is
informed, was
answered by
Ambassador
Dina Kawar of
Jordan,
leaving the
Security
Council in
nine days.
Also leaving
are all other
female
Ambassadors
except
Samantha
Power:
Lithuania's
Ambassador
Murmokaite and
Nigeria's Joy
Ogwu, with
swan songs on
CAR sanctions
and
Shakespeare,
respectively.
Chad's
Chérif Mahamat
Zene in the
afternoon's
open session
linked Africa
to 70% of UN
Peacekeeping
-- unsaid, at
least there,
is that
African
peacekeepers
for example in
Mali are left
without access
to the NATO
equipment the
Dutch
Battalion
shares only
with fellow
NATO members,
as Inner City
Press
exclusively
reported and
has asked the
UN about.
Chile's
Cristian
Barros spoke
of the
continuing
need for
reform and
said he'll
work on it,
even once off
the Council.
Here's hoping.
At the
month's
beginning on
December 1
when
Ambassador
Power held
a press
conference
about the
Council's
Program of
Work in
December,
Inner City
Press asked
her about two
items on the
Program: the
use in Yemen
of troops from
Sudan.
Power
spoke with
passion about
the latter
topic, saying
that during
her recent
trip to India
she devoted a
third of one
of her
speeches to
the topic.
Power said
that the UN
must
repatriate
accused
troops, and
that the troop
contributing
countries,
including
where
applicable the
US, must
investigate
and prosecute
the
allegations as
if they had
taken place in
their own
countries,
against their
own citizens.
The report on
CAR was announced
on June 22
and was
supposed to
take ten
weeks. Then it
was delayed
past the
General
Assembly high
level debate
week into
November, then
delayed again
into December.
Power said the
US would like
it taken up in
the Security
Council,
whether
considered in
connection
with CAR in
the December
program of
work, or in
January if it
is not
released until
then.
On the
Saudi-led
coalition's
use of troops
from Sudan in
Yemen, Power
said that it
had to be
acknowledged
that Sudan's
military
violated the
laws of war in
South Sudan,
in Southern
Kordofan and
Blue Nile, and
in Darfur. She
said the
Saudi-led
coalition was
asked to be
discerning.
Inner City
Press didn't
have time to
ask, but there
are increasing
reports that
the United
Arab Emirates
is employing
mercenaries
from Colombia
in Yemen.
We'll have
more on this.
For now, below
is a fast
transcription
by InnerCityPro.com:
Inner City
Press: I
wanted to ask
you about two
things. On the
program of
work you have
Yemen, and you
also have
Sudan ICC, so
I wanted to
ask about
something that
brings them
together,
which is, the
use of
Sudanese
troops in
Yemen by the
Saudi-led
coalition.
Some people
have said it’s
sort of
strange, given
their record
and the fact
that the
government of
Sudan is under
ICC
indictment,
for the use of
these troops
in Darfur; it
seems like a
funny part of
the coalition
in Yemen. So I
wanted your
thoughts on
that.
And also,
during the
month of
December, the
long-delayed
report on
sexual abuse
in CAR is
supposed to
come out. Do
you think the
Council, given
the importance
of this issue
of
peacekeepers
and
accountability,
will the
Council take
it up? And
what do you
think, either
personally or
nationally,
should happen?
Ambassador
Power: On the
issue of
sexual abuse
and
exploitation,
I did travel
all the way to
India and did
give a speech,
a third of
which was
dedicated to
that topic
because it is
clear that
whatever the
notional zero
tolerance
policy that
exists here,
the spate of
allegations is
extremely
disturbing and
the loss of
trust that
results when
civilians who
are counting
on the UN for
protection
begin to view
them as
predators,
cannot be
overstated. I
think the
Secretary
General has
taken a series
of steps now
that are aimed
at filling
some of the
gaps that have
existed.
Fundamentally,
if we don’t do
what I sought
to do on my
visit
overseas, and
what we are
now talking
about
bilaterally
around the
world, which
is elevate the
issue of
accountability
in capitals,
every capital,
including if
US personnel
were accused
of carrying
out these
kinds of
abuses. Where
the
accountability
needs to exist
in the first
instance is of
course at the
UN,
individuals
need to be
repatriated
and an
investigation
needs to be
launched. But
fundamentally
it is the
member states
that are going
to need to
take ownership
of what their
troops are
doing in other
countries, as
if it was
happening in
one’s own
country.
I don’t really
have a comment
on CAR. I
don’t yet know
in terms of
how we will
take it up. We
do have, as I
mentioned, a
lot happening
related to
CAR. It’s
possible we
could combine
discussion of
the report. I
think it
depends on the
precise
timing. But if
it isn’t in
this month, it
certainly is
something that
the United
States will
support
discussing at
the earliest
possible
occasion.
On Sudan and
Yemen, first
of all
underscore
that under the
leadership in
Khartoum the
Sudnaese
government has
fought in a
manner,
whether it was
against the
South Sudanese
people for
many many
years, or in
Khordofan or
Blue Nile over
the last
couple of
years, God
knows in
Darfur, the
manner in
which Sudan
has employed
force has
consistently
ignored or
violated
international
humanitarian
law. There’s
just no way
around it. It
is the use of
indiscriminate
weapons of
war, and
seemingly
scant regard
for civilian
life. So we
would be very
concerned that
any units that
were involved
in the kinds
of atrocities
we have seen
in Darfur, on
the ground or
from the air,
or those in
other parts of
Sudan, if they
were involved
elsewhere, and
have
encouraged the
coalition to
be extremely
discerning and
to make every
effort to
ensure that
anything they
are doing in
Yemen is in
compliance
with IHL."
[International
Humanitarian
Law]
On Syria,
Power said
among other
things that
there are
procedures in
place to
adjudge which
groups are
terrorists and
which are not
(State
Department
deputy
spokesperson
Mark Toner
earlier in the
day twice said
that Al Nusra
is a terrorist
group).
On
North Korea,
Power said
that as much
light as
possible
should be shed
from outside
the country.
One wanted to
ask, what
could a trip
by Ban Ki-moon
at this time
accomplish,
but time did
not allow.
Inner City
Press has been
reporting
extensively on
Burundi,
and on this
subject Power
said that a
Security
Council trip
is still in
the planning
stages, but is
unanimously
supported by
the Council's
members.
Yesterday
Inner City
Press
reported,
based on
sources in the
Council, that
Angola
expressed the
position at
least that a
visit in
December might
be too soon.
Power answered
about her trip
to India, and
mentioned her
visit to Sri
Lanka which
came after
that. Inner
City Press
hear from
Lankan sources
that a film
crew
accompanied
Power into
certain
meetings; one
awaits the
broadcast.
On
behalf of the
Free
UN Coalition
for Access,
as it did with
last month's
president
Matthew
Rycroft and
his
predecessors,
Inner City
Press asked
Power to hold
question and
answer
stakeouts
after Council
closed door
consultations,
“so we can
learn what
went on
inside.” Power
quipped that
it is not all
that
interesting,
which may most
of the time be
true. But at
least we can
ask. And we
will. Watch
this site. Follow @innercitypressFollow @FUNCA_info
, 
