From
W. Sahara,
Morocco Said
to Block UN
Torture
Rapporteur
Mendez
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 26 --
A briefing on
Western Sahara
had been
promised
in the UN
Security
Council on
October, but
got pushed
back to the
26th to be
after
Morocco's
October 21
election to a
Council seat
in
2012-13. As
envoy
Christopher
Ross gave his
briefing,
behind closed
doors, a
Council
diplomat left,
telling Inner
City Press
that, "as
usual, nothing
surprising."
Afterward
South
African
Permanent
Representative
Baso Sangqu
told the Press
that the
compromise
human rights
mechanism
agreed to,
that UN
Special
Rapporteurs
could visit,
was not being
implemented.
Only one
rapporteurs
has been
there, and
returned
critical of
the denial of
cultural
rights in
Western
Sahara.
Later
Inner City
Press learned
that another
rapporteur,
Juan Mendez
who covers
torture, has
tried to visit
but has
received "push
back"
from Morocco.
Mendez wanted
to focus on
Western
Sahara, while
Rabat
wants him to
come to
Morocco.
Mendez is
reportedly
conferring
with
Ross on how to
move forward.
As
Sangqu spoke
with
reporters,
French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud
walked by and
laughed.
Apparently his
side, which
opposes
inclusion of a
human rights
mandate for
the UN
peacekeeping
mission
MINURSO, is
winning: there
is
no need to
talk.
(c)
UN Photo
Ban
Ki-moon &
Ross: access
for torture
rapporteur
Mendez not
shown
Germany
through
its Deputy
Permanent
Representative
Berger
expressed a
wish
that Morocco
would hold
talks prior to
January. But,
others say,
Morocco has
said that its
"diplomatic
calendar" is
too full
until January,
when they take
up their
Council seat.
Moroccan
representatives
were present
around the
Council and at
the stakeout
afterward but
did not speak
to the
assembled
media.
Morocco's
position on
Special
Rapporteur on
Torture Juan
Mendez would
have been
good to
obtain; if
received it
will be
published.
On October 21,
Inner City
Press asked
Morocco's
foreign
minister not
only about
Western Sahara
-- in his
response he
called it
"Moroccan
Sahara" -- but
also about
Palestine, a
question he
did not
answer. When
he goes, we
will report
it. And so it
goes at
the UN.
, 
