On
W Sahara, UN Tells ICP 17
Staff Still Not Back, UNaware
of Reassignment of Some
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS,
February 23 – Even after
Morocco threw portions of the
UN Peacekeeping mission out of
Western Sahara, when the UN
Security Council meets on the
topic it is not listed on
their agenda and thus far
there has been no outcome.
Permanent member France has
ensured it remain this way,
and has managed to get its
fifth national in a row put
atop UN Peacekeeping, to
succeed Herve Ladsous who
again and again told Inner
City Press,
I don't answer your
questions, until it was
evicted
from its office and remains
restricted by Spain's Cristina
Gallach. Last week Inner
City Press asked what to
expect from Antonio Guterres,
see below.
On the
afternoon of February 22, with
Western Sahara on the Security
Council's agenda, Inner City
Press asked French Ambassador
Francois Delattre how many of
the ousted UN staff are still
out, and about the meeting. He
said to Ask his colleague, who
would attended, joking "cheap
shot." Video
here.
At the
Security Council stakeout, at
least four Moroccan diplomats
held vigil, including the
sponsor of UN Office of the
High Commissioner for Human
Rights' Eric Tistounet's book
party.
After cover up
man Herve Ladsous left, it was
said the President of the
Council would speak at the
stakeout. When he did,
Inner City Press asked for a
summary, at least how many of
the ousted UN staff had
returned. I don't remember,
was the answer. Video
here.
So on
February 23, Inner City Press
asked UN Spokesman Stephane
Dujarric how many have (not)
returned, and if any have been
reassigned to other UN
missions. From the UN
transcript:
Inner City Press:
yesterday, after the
consultations in the Council
about MINURSO (United Nations
Mission for the Referendum in
Western Sahara), I asked the
President of the Council if
Mr. [Hervé] Ladsous had
provided a number of the staff
that had yet… had been ousted
that had yet to be
returned. And he said,
yes, a number had been
provided. He didn't say
that he could remember the
number, but I'm assuming that
you can remember the
number. How many are
still out?
Spokesman: Well, I don't
have to remember it because I
have it written down in front
of me, which is very
good. I can tell… I know
there have been a lot… a
number of questions about the
level of the mission in
Western Sahara. We're
obviously continuing our
efforts to restore full
functionality to the UN
Mission, to MINURSO. At
this time, there remains 17
staff who have been unable to
rejoin the mission after
requested… being requested to
depart by Morocco, and efforts
continue to enable their
return. The Department
of Peacekeeping Operations
(DPKO) and MINURSO remain in
close touch with staff members
concerned in order to keep
them informed of the current
situation.
Inner City Press: One
follow-up. I've heard
that some of these people have
been assigned to other
missions. Is that the
case? And, if so, does
it kind of acknowledge--
Spokesman: I'm not aware
of those people having been
reassigned to another mission.
We'll have
more on this.
Back on February
16 at a rare panel discussion
on Western Sahara just off
Manhattan's Park Avenue, a
questioner brought the
proceedings to a halt when he
asked about Trump adviser
Steve Bannon working in
MINURSO. Several
audience members - on both
sides, as it turned out -
asked, Why? From the podium
came the answer that the
reference was to John Bolton.
The Q&A continued.
Inner City
Press asked about Antonio
Guterres, who recently gave
the top position in UN
Peacekeeping to yet another
French official, Jean-Pierre
Lacroix the fifth in a row,
and what his views may be on
Western Sahara.
Amy
Goodman of Democracy Now
responded that as a former
Portuguese prime minister
Guterres should remember, and
be asked about, East Timor. Video
here, from Min 1:30:26.
Consider it an assignment.
The event
was at Hunter College's
Roosevelt House and included
Prof Sandra Babcock, lawyer
Katlyn Thomas, Madeleine Bair
of Watching Western Sahara and
Mohammed Ali Arkoukoum of the
Saharawi Association in New
York. The final questioner,
with a pro-Morocco perspective
and some supporters with
filming phones, came in from
Boston.
Back on
January 27 after the UN
Security Council held a closed
door meeting about Western
Sahara, Inner City Press asked
the Council's President for
January Olof Skoog of Sweden
what happened in the meeting.
Video
here.
Specifically, Inner City Press
asked Skoog how many of the 83
members of the MINURSO
peacekeeping mission expelled
by Morocco have be able to
return.
Skoog did
not give a number, but said
that MINURSO is still no up to
full functionality. He
mentioned Guerguerat.
Inner City
Press asked if Morocco's
attempts to join the African
Union, and the impact that
might have on the political
negotiations, had been
discussed. Skoog said no.
There was
no time to ask about the
Norwegian oil fish ship that,
it seems, violated the recent
European court ruling. And
less than two hours later,
guards citing the eviction /
Press downgrading order of
Spanish UN official Cristina
Gallach demanded to know where
Inner City Press' "minder"
was, putting an end to a
diplomat's provision of
information to Inner City
Press. This is today's UN.
***
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