UNITED NATIONS,
April 30 – After several
delays, the UN Security
Council renewed for one year
the mandate of its Western
Sahara mission MINURSO at 6 pm
on April 28. Final resolution
put on Scribed by Inner City
Press here.
After the vote when Morocco's
Permanent Representative to
the UN Omar Hilale came to the
UNTV stakeout, and after
questions from Moroccan state
media, Inner City Press asked
Hilale three questions, on
Horst Kohler as possible new
envoy, on the C-24 Committee
visiting the regions, and what
Morocco had accomplished by
ousting the MINURSO
peacekeepers. Hilale rather
than answering used the podium
to, as he put it, give some
statistics. 6-second Vine
Camera video here.
He said that
Inner City Press has asked 225
questions about the conflict
in the past year - quelle
horreur -- and had had
the temerity to write 150
articles about it. Inner City
Press pointed out that it has
written more about other
countries, such as these days
Cameroon. But Hilale went on
from there. Video
here. Thre days after
the stakeouts, the UN
Department of Public
Information had put on its
website only two of the three
speakers that evening (May 1
photo here),
and still had not provided
Inner City Press with the UNTV
mp4 video of Hilale's
stakeout, while providing it
of all other stakeouts of the
day. It was to the DPI that
Hilale's Moroccan mission made
a frivolous complaint
about Inner City Press
taking photos at the stakeout;
it was this DPI which evicted
Inner City Press and still
keeps it restricted, trying to
give its long time shared
office to an Egyptian state
media which rarely comes in
and never asks questions. This
zero, apparently, is a count
that Hilale, Morocco and its
state media and trolls are
most comfortable with. Up to
death threats have been
received. Here then is a song,
Western Sahara Blues, the
Ballad of Omar Hilale.
In front
of the UN Security Council's
Western Sahara closed door
consultations on April 25,
Inner City Press asked French
Ambassador Francois Delattre
why there is no human rights
monitoring in the mandate of
the MINURSO mission, as urged
by for example Amnesty
International. Delattre said
human rights "is in our DNA,"
but said there are many ways
to work for human rights. Video here. Now the vote
on the resolution, one draft
of which is below, has been
pushed back from 5 to 5:30 to
6 pm on April 28. Verification
of Guerguerat, inclusion or
deletion or modification of
language in the resolution,
below. Up on the UN's 38th
floor after a photo
op of UK Boris Johnson
and Secretary General Antonio
Guterres, Inner City Press
spotted Uruguay's ambassador.
He has been pushing for human
rights monitoring, DNA or no
DNA. But down at the stakeout
of the Security Council, the
questions to him concerned
mostly a reported missile
firing by North Korea. Watch
this site. Inner City Press
asked about Horst Kohler as
Antonio Guterres' nominee as
Personal Envoy on Western
Sahara. Delattre smiled and
answered in German. Then
and the next
day, as Inner
City Press got
versions of
the draft,
Morocco
diplomats and
state
journalists
walked freely
up and down
the UN's 2d
floor, while
Inner City
Press was
confined to
Department of
Public
Information
minders. After
the meeting, Russia's Deputy
Permanent Representative Petr
Ilyichev said the real work on
the MINURSO resolution, which
he still expects to be put to
a vote on April 27, was at the
level of experts, not in the
April 25 meeting. Periscope
video here.
And here now, the draft
resolution:
The Security
Council, Recalling and
reaffirming all its previous
resolutions on Western Sahara,
Reaffirming its strong support
for the efforts of the
Secretary-General and his
Personal Envoy to implement
resolutions 1754 (2007), 1783
(2007), 1813 (2008), 1871
(2009), 1920 (2010), 1979
(2011), 2044 (2012), 2099
(2013), 2152 (2014), 2218
(2015), and 2285 (2016),
?Reaffirming its commitment to
assist the parties to achieve
a just, lasting, and mutually
acceptable political solution,
which will provide for the
self-determination of the
people of Western Sahara in
the context of arrangements
consistent with the principles
and purposes of the Charter of
the United Nations, and noting
the role and responsibilities
of the parties in this
respect,
Reiterating its
call upon the parties and the
neighboring states to
cooperate more fully with the
United Nations and with each
other and to strengthen their
involvement to end the current
impasse and to achieve
progress towards a political
solution,
Recognizing that
achieving a political solution
to this long-standing dispute
and enhanced cooperation
between the Member States of
the Maghreb Arab Union would
contribute to stability and
security in the Sahel region,
Welcoming the
efforts of the
Secretary-General to keep all
peacekeeping operations,
including the United Nations
Mission for the Referendum in
Western Sahara (MINURSO),
under close review and
reiterating the need for the
Council to pursue a rigorous,
strategic approach to
peacekeeping deployments, and
effective management of
resources,
Emphasizing the
need to regularly evaluate
MINURSO’s performance such
that the mission retains the
skills and flexibility needed
to effectively carry out its
mandate,
Further
emphasizing that hiring,
retention and assignment
processes of the United
Nations for MINURSO should
allow for mission structures
to quickly and easily adapt to
changing operational
environments, and noting the
Secretary-General’s intention
to reform these
processes to make the
Organization more nimble,
Recognizing the
important role played by
MINURSO on the ground and the
need for it to fully implement
its mandate, including its
role in supporting the
Personal Envoy to achieve a
mutually acceptable political
solution,
Expressing
concern about the violations
of existing agreements, and
calling on the parties to
respect their relevant
obligations,
Welcoming
Morocco’s positive response on
26 February 2017 to the
Secretary General’s call for
both parties to withdraw from
the buffer strip in
Guerguerat,
Expressing deep
concern that elements of the
Polisario Front remain in the
buffer strip in Guerguerat,
including its obstruction of
regular commercial
traffic,
Taking note of
the Moroccan proposal
presented on 11 April 2007 to
the Secretary-General and
welcoming serious and credible
Moroccan efforts to move the
process forward towards
resolution; also taking note
of the Polisario Front
proposal presented 10 April
2007 to the Secretary-General,
Encouraging in
this context, the parties to
demonstrate further political
will towards a solution
including by expanding upon
their discussion of each
other’s proposals and further
encouraging the neighboring
countries to make
contributions to the political
process,
Taking note of
the four rounds of
negotiations held under the
auspices of the
Secretary-General and
recognizing the importance of
the parties committing to
continue the negotiations
process,
Encouraging the
parties to resume cooperation
with the United Nations Office
of the High Commissioner for
Refugees in implementing the
January 2012 updated Plan of
Action on Confidence-Building
Measures, including programmes
focused on linking people who
have been divided for more
than 40 years due to the
conflict and further
encouraging the parties to
consider additional
appropriate
confidence-building measures,
Stressing the
importance of improving the
human rights situation in
Western Sahara and the Tindouf
camps, and encouraging the
parties to work with the
international community to
develop and implement
independent and credible
measures to ensure full
respect for human rights,
bearing in mind their relevant
obligations under
international law,
Encouraging the
parties to continue in their
respective efforts to enhance
the promotion and protection
of human rights in Western
Sahara and the Tindouf refugee
camps, including the freedoms
of expression and association,
?Welcoming in this regard, the
recent steps and initiatives
taken by Morocco, and the role
played by the National Council
on Human Rights Commissions
operating in Dakhla and
Laayoune, and Morocco’s
interaction with Special
Procedures of the United
Nations Human Rights Council,
Commending the
technical visit of the Office
of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR) to Western Sahara in
April 2015, and to the Tindouf
refugee camps in July-August
2015, and strongly encouraging
enhancing cooperation with
OHCHR, including through
facilitating further visits to
the region,
Noting with deep
concern the continued
hardships faced by Sahrawi
refugees and their dependency
on external humanitarian
assistance,and further noting
insufficient funding for those
living in Tindouf refugee
camps and the risk of
potential reductions in food
assistance,
?Reiterating its request for
consideration of a refugee
registration in the Tindouf
refugee camps and emphasizing
efforts be made in this
regard,
Stressing the
importance of a commitment by
the parties to continue the
process of negotiations
through the United
Nations-sponsored talks and
encouraging the meaningful
participation of women in
these,
?Recognizing that the
consolidation of the status
quo is not acceptable, and
noting further that progress
in the negotiations is
essential in order to improve
the quality of life of the
people of Western Sahara in
all its aspects,
? Expressing gratitude for the
efforts of the
Secretary-General’s Personal
Envoy for Western Sahara,
Ambassador Christopher Ross,
throughout his tenure, and
affirming its continued full
support for the
Secretary-General’s Personal
Envoy for Western Sahara in
facilitating negotiations
between the parties, and
calling on the parties and
neighbouring states to
cooperate fully with the
Personal Envoy,
?Affirming full support for
the Special Representative of
the Secretary-General for
Western Sahara and Head of
MINURSO Kim Bolduc,
Having considered
the report of the
Secretary-General of 10 April
2017 (S/2017/307),
1.?Decides to
extend the mandate of MINURSO
until 30 April 2018;
2.?Reaffirms the need
for full respect of the
military agreements reached
with MINURSO with regard to
the ceasefire and calls on the
parties to adhere fully to
those agreements;
3. ?Expresses deep concern
with the continued presence of
elements of the Polisario
Front in the buffer strip in
Guerguerat and strongly urges
the Polisario Front to fully
and unconditionally withdraw
from the buffer strip in
Guerguerat immediately;
4.?Requests the
Secretary-General to brief the
Council within 30 days on
whether elements of the
Polisario have withdrawn from
the buffer strip in Guerguerat
and expresses its intention,
if there is no full and
unconditional withdrawal, to
consider how best to
facilitate achievement of this
goal;
5.?Recognizes that the
crisis in Guerguerat raises
fundamental questions related
to the ceasefire and related
agreements and encourages the
Secretary-General to explore
ways that such questions can
be resolved;
6.?Calls upon all
parties to cooperate fully
with the operations of
MINURSO, including its free
interaction with all
interlocutors, and to take the
necessary steps to ensure the
security of as well as
unhindered movement and
immediate access for the
United Nations and associated
personnel in carrying out
their mandate, in conformity
with existing agreements;
7.?Emphasizes the importance
of the parties’ commitment to
continue the process of
preparation for a fifth round
of negotiations, and recalls
its endorsement of the
recommendation in the report
of 14 April 2008 (S/2008/251)
that realism and a spirit of
compromise by the parties are
essential to achieve progress
in negotiations, and
encourages the neighbouring
countries to make important
contributions to this process;
8.?Calls upon the parties to
show political will and work
in an atmosphere propitious
for dialogue in order to
resume negotiations, thus
ensuring implementation of
resolutions 1754 (2007), 1783
(2007), 1813 (2008), 1871
(2009), 1920 (2010), 1979
(2011), 2044 (2012), 2099
(2013), 2152 (2014), and 2218
(2015) and the success of
negotiations;
9.?Affirms its full support
for the commitment of the
Secretary-General and his
Personal Envoy towards a
solution to the question of
Western Sahara in this context
to relaunch the negotiating
process with a new dynamic and
a new spirit leading to the
resumption of a political
process with the aim of
reaching a mutually acceptable
political solution, which will
provide for the
self-determination of the
people of Western Sahara in
the context of arrangements
consistent with the principles
and purposes of the Charter of
the United Nations;
10.?Calls upon the parties to
resumenegotiations under the
auspices of the
Secretary-General without
preconditions and in good
faith, taking into account the
efforts made since 2006 and
subsequent developments, with
a view to achieving a just,
lasting, and mutually
acceptable political solution,
which will provide for the
self-determination of the
people of Western Sahara in
the context of arrangements
consistent with the principles
and purposes of the Charter of
the United Nations, and noting
the role and responsibilities
of the parties in this
respect;
11.?Invites Member States to
lend appropriate assistance to
these talks;
12.?Requests the
Secretary-General to brief the
Security Council on a regular
basis, and at least twice a
year, on the status and
progress of these negotiations
under his auspices, on the
implementation of this
resolution, challenges to
MINURSO’s operations and steps
taken to address them,
expresses its intention to
meet to receive and discuss
his briefings and in this
regard, and further requests
the Secretary-General to
provide a report on the
situation in Western Sahara
well before the end of the
mandate period;
13. Further requests the
Secretary-General to update
the Security Council within
six months of the appointment
of the new Personal Envoy on
(i) ways in which the Personal
Envoy, working with the
parties, is progressing
towards a mutually acceptable
political solution, which will
provide for the
self-determination of the
people of Western Sahara in
the context of arrangements
consistent with the principles
and purposes of the Charter of
the United Nations, and
present a clear path
forward; (ii) how
MINURSO’s performance measures
are being developed and
implemented(iii) how
structures and staffing can be
reorganized to achieve mission
goals efficiently, and (iv)
how new technologies are being
considered to reduce risk,
improve force protection, and
better implement the mandate
of MINURSO;
14. Encourages
the parties to resume
cooperation with the Office of
the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees to
review and, where possible,
expand confidence-building
measures;
15.Urges Member
States to provide new and
additional voluntary
contributions to fund food
programmes to ensure that the
humanitarian needs of refugees
are adequately addressed and
avoid reductions in food
rations;
16.?Requests the
Secretary-General to continue
to take the necessary measures
to ensure full compliance in
MINURSO with the United
Nations zero-tolerance policy
on sexual exploitation and
abuse and to keep the Council
informed, and urges
troop-contributing countries
to take appropriate preventive
action including
pre-deployment awareness
training, and other action to
ensure full accountability in
cases of such conduct
involving their personnel;
17.Supports an
increase in the ratio of
medical personnel within the
current uniformed
authorization as requested in
the most recent report of the
Secretary-General to address
the severely overstretched
medical capacity of MINURSO.
18.Decides to
remain seized of the matter.
Outside the
Council, a half dozen Moroccan
diplomats milled around, the
same crowd from within which a
frivolous complaint to the
Department of Public
Information was made, to stop
taking photos or video from
the UNSC stakeout (which is in
fact permitted). The same DPI
allows Morocco state media to
chase Christopher Ross into
the elevator - but censured
Inner City Press for the same
thing. This is today's UN.
Numerous diplomats have asked
Inner City Press why Secretary
General Antonio Guterres is
"so pro Moroccan," as one of
them put it. The perception is
become widespread. The answers
proffered include Guterres'
time as Prime Minister of
Portugal, with references to
prior Moroccan King Hassan II
and Abdellatif Youssoufi. On
April 20, Inner City Press
asked Guterres' holdover
spokesman Stephane Dujarric
about Amnesty International urging
the inclusion of human rights
monitoring in the mandate of
the MINURSO mission, and why
Guterres ignored it as he
apparently ignores several
other human rights issues. From the UN
transcript: Inner City
Press: Amnesty International,
you may have heard of, has
issued a de… a call saying
that the UN Mission for the
Referendum in Western Sahara,
MINURSO, should have a human
rights monitoring
function. And I… I've
seen a copy. I'm not
sure if you can say what the
status of the
Secretary-General's report
is. Is it now
officially…?
Spokesman: Yeah, the
report… I would refer
you…
Inner
City Press:
I want to make sure…
Spokesman: I would refer
you to the report.
Inner
City
Press:
Since it… is it fair to say
that he's not recommending a
human rights monitoring
function? If so, how… how… why
not?
Spokesman: I think it's
fair to say that the report
speaks for itself.
Inner City Press:
Right. So he's not
recommending it?
Spokesman: You do the
analysis...
OK. And
then there's this: Moroccan
trolls, using Dujarric's (and
the now-gone Gallach's)
eviction of Inner City Press
for covering corruption like
this, that Inner City Press
"was sacked out from the #UN
because he was caught filming
a closed meeting." No, Inner
City Press said openly it
would film, and did, a meeting
in the UN Press Briefing Room
by a group that took dues
money from now indicted Ng Lap
Seng's bribery conduit. The
Moroccan state "media" at the
UN don't even ask questions.
Troll on. On April 19 as
Guterres held a rare Q&A
session, about Africa, his
holdover spokesman Stephane
Dujarric had pre-selected
questions, many of them not
about Africa at all. The UN
Department of Public
Information under Guterres has
threatened
Inner City Press after a
frivolous complaint from the
Moroccan mission about photos
taken according to the rules
at the UN Security Council
stakeout, while DPI has given
multiple "Resident
Correspondent" badges to
Moroccan state media, some
moonlighting for the UN
itself, while restricting the
UNderdog Press. Meanwhile,
Inner City Press has learned,
the UN's decoloniziation
(C-24) committee is preparing
to visit the Tindouf refugee
camp. We'll have more on this.
While Guterres breezed by the
issue of Western Sahara on
Friday, April 7 as Morocco
tried to get the Press which
covers it further restricted,
Inner City Press was leaked
the email below, from the UN's
Kim Bolduc, amid reports of
Germany's Horst Kohler as new
Personal Envoy. While
Guterres' holdover spokesman
Stephane Dujarric refused to
comment on either,
here (contrary to his
Q&A last week about "Sex
in the City, here),
now Inner City Press has put
on Scribd the full text
of Guterres' first MINURSO
report such as it is, here.
But when Inner City Press
asked the UN's holdover
spokesman Stephane Dujarric
about both on April 10, he
wouldn't answer either
question. Video
here. From the UN
transcript:
Inner City Press:
on Western Sahara, you'd said
to wait for the report, but I
guess I just want to say, this
Kim Bolduc e-mail, which Inner
City Press published, was
directed to, like, many, many
people in UNHCR. So,
5I'm wondering what then, it
talks about a code cable for
Jean-Pierre Lacroix to go
forward and… and… and, you
know, re… bring all 17 people
back. So, I'm sort of
wondering, like, is it that
you know it, but she shouldn't
have written that first?
Is it…?
Spokesman: She's the
master of her e-mails.
She's obviously communicating
what she needs to communicate
with her… with her staff, and
the Secretary-General's
position will be made very
public and updated once the
report comes out in the next
day or so.
[Also:
Question:
Follow-up. There were
some reports also last week
that the Polisario have
threatened to shoot the
MINURSO peacekeepers if they
try to conduct ceasefire
patrols in the areas under
their control. What's
the Secretary-General think
about that and the integrity
of the peacekeeping mission
itself?
Spokesman: Well, it's
incumbent on all the parties
involved to respect the,
respect UN personnel in the
area, whether uniformed or, or
not, in the way they go about
their work on a mandate of the
Security Council.
Correspondent: I'm
sorry. Just a quick
follow-up. The Polisario
also reported that you have
prevented the MINURSO from
patrolling the El-Guerguerat
area after the Moroccan forces
have withdrawn from it…
Spokesman: I think it is
important that all the parties
ensure that MINURSO has full
freedom of movement.
Masood-ji.
Correspondent: Thank
you, Stéphane-ji. ]
Inner City
Press: Will he, by that
time, confirm or deny that
he's nominating Mr. Horst
Kobler as… or Köhler…?
Spokesman: As you know,
whenever we have a nomination
for a high-level person,
there's a lot of the rumours
prior. The Security
Council will have to be
consulted, and once all that
is done, we will announce it
officially and, no doubt, you
will have the information
before it is announced
officially.
Inner City Press: Just
finally, on both this and on
South Sudan, is it possible to
get Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix to
do a stakeout or some type of
Q&A…?
Spokesman: I'm sure Mr
Lacroix will be delighted to
come meet you as soon as it is
possible for him. Good
day.
Inner City Press: Can I
ask a Burundi question?
Spokesman: No.
We're done. Thank you.
This
is today's UN.
***
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