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From W Sahara, ICP Again Asks UN Why No Envoy, If Not Kohler Who Wants Big German Staff, Who?

By Matthew Russell Lee, exclusive, Video here, song

UNITED NATIONS, August 15 – On August 4, Inner City Press asked the UN why there is STILL not UN Envoy on Western Sahara, UN transcript here: and below. Now 11 more days later, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric again, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: the position of a Personal Envoy on Western Sahara.... well, you know how long it's been.

Spokesman:  I do know how long it's been.

Inner City Press: Can you give some idea? Is the problem consultations?  Is the problem with widely reported Mr. [Horst] Köhler and the size of the office, the location of the office?  What is the problem?

Spokesman:  You know, a lot of things happen below the water line.  When the personal envoy is ready to emerge from above the water line, we will make the announcement, and all will be clear.

Inner City Press: Has any work been done on that… because you were saying on Cyprus there'll still be work done even in the absence… even during reflection.  What work has been done on the…

Spokesman:  Well, obviously, DPA (Department of Political Affairs) continues to follow the situation in the Western Sahara.

 After the briefing, Dujarric walked out chatting with Moroccan media (Magreb Arab Press) which comes in and ask questions much less than Inner City Press but which Dujarric and the UN Secretariat did not evict, and so have full access. We'll have more on this. From August 4: Inner City Press:  this Western Sahara envoy question, it's getting stranger and stranger.  How long has it been since there's been an envoy?  And what is the, I guess, at this point, what is the holdup?

Spokesman:  I'm not going to comment on your characterization.  When we have a Personal Envoy to announce, we will announce one.

  Likewise when Inner City Press asked about Morocco's alleged torture of the Gdeim Iziki defendants, asking both before and after the victim, the UN had no comment at all. Now they have receipt a letter that "it has become clear that the Moroccan authorities do not respect international law and persist in their grave violations of human rights in Western Sahara, under the responsibility of the United Nations, in view of the decolonization of the territory and the exercise by its people of their inalienable right to self-determination and freedom. The Moroccan authorities have never had the intention of enabling Saharawi political prisoners to have a fair trial because they were arrested mainly because of their political views and public defense of the Saharawi people's right to self-determination. The recent judgments represent a serious development in Morocco's notorious record of human rights violations in occupied Western Sahara." Maybe the UN will deny receiving this letter too, while leaving the envoy on Western Sahara position vacant for weeks and months without ever explaining it. This is conflict prevention? On July 18 Inner City Press asked UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: on Western Sahara, I think the Frente Polisario sent a communication to [the Department of Political Affairs] and [the Department of Peacekeeping Operations] and the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) about they've captured, they say, 19 people coming over the berm from Morocco and put them in… there's photographs.  It's been… it's in El País.  And I'm just wondering, given the… the… the… what happened in Guerguerat, is the UN… what's the UN comment on it?  Will you confirm that you've received the communication?  And what does the UN intend to do about it?

Deputy Spokesman:  I'll check whether we've received any communication from them.

  Six hours later, after Haq closed the office, there was still nothing. On July 19 Haq walked out as Inner City Press. So on July 20, along with Rif, Inner City Press asked again, UN transcript here, Inner City Press: In the ongoing protests in the Rif Region of Morocco, there's a large protest today by which the Government has responded to by blocking roads, trying to block entry by sea, slowing down the Internet.  And so, I just wanted to know… I know this has come up and at one point, Stéphane [Dujarric] said that there may be something coming down.  Given that, in fact, the protests are growing and the oppression and the number of people locked up has grown, has the Department of Public… excuse me, Political Affairs or the Secretariat taken any note of this?

Deputy Spokesman:  Certainly, we take note of this and I'll check with them about any response.

Inner City Press: I tried to ask yesterday as you left.  I had asked you two days ago I think, whether… whether you had confirmed receipt by [the Department of Political Affairs] and [the Department of Peacekeeping Operations] of a communication by Frente Polisario about this… these arrests now reported in three countries' media of people coming over the berm into Western Sahara, where you have a peacekeeping mission.  Have you received that?  And what's the…?

Deputy Spokesman:  We're aware of this.  The thing about that is that the [United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara] (MINURSO), does not have any sort of civilian law enforcement role.  We don't have any mandate to have access to these individuals, and they have not had access to them.

   When Inner City Press on July 17 asked UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq about complaints of the use of torture in the Gdeim Izik cases set for decision tomorrow, this UN spokesman said they UN had nothing to say. Watch this site. Despite South African and European court decisions, Morocco's OCP and its subsidiary Phosboucraa said they consider the South Africa's decision to impound illegally exploited phosphate from Western Sahara to be "political piracy committed under judicial cover... They therefore reserve their right to pursue and protect their property rights for this cargo using all means permitted by international law." So, like Ban Ki-moon's indicted brother Ban Ki-Sang who used the UN's name to try to sell real estate in Viet Nam, they are thumbing their noses at the court - while Morocco's King continues to abuse those in the Rif region. By refusing to defend, they concede. Where now will New Zealand's Ravensdown and Ballance Agri-Nutrients source their phosphate? Back on April 9 Inner City Press reported UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' proposal of Horst Kohler of Germany to replace Christopher Ross as the UN's Western Sahara envoy. Guterres' holdover spokesman Stephane Dujarric, when Inner City Press, repeatedly refused comment. Now the reason for delay can be reported: UN sources tell Inner City Press that Kohler demanded a large staff, some long time associates, to be put on the UN payroll, leading to delay. On June 21 Inner City Press asked Dujarric's deputy Farhan Haq, UN transcript below. And three week later, still with no movement, on July 11 Inner City Press asked lead UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, UN Transcript here: Inner City Press: with the Personal Envoy on Western Sahara.  Some time's gone by.  Some people are saying there's kind of a loss of momentum, if there was any momentum.  What's happening or does the Secretary-General recognise that not having an envoy for this period of time…?

Spokesman:  There's… I think we will be the first ones to recognize that there's been some time, and as soon as I have something to announce, I will announce it.  We would have been happy to announce it earlier, but… go ahead.

Inner City Press: Are you able to say which side…?

Spokesman:  No, no, all sides… both sides have… there's been no disagreement from both sides.  It's an issue still being worked out.

  Back on June 21, three week earlier: Inner City Press: on the Western Sahara envoy, I wanted to ask about that again.  That seems like that was… that letter went even, you know, earlier [than Ghassan Salameh for Libya]. Can you give some idea what the hang-up is?

Deputy Spokesman:  Sometimes what we do is we negotiate to make sure that not just that Member States are happy, which is one step of the process, but also that the candidates themselves are willing to accept the job.  And sometimes we have discussions with them.  Once everything is in place, we’ll make the announcements.

Inner City Press: I’d heard actually that Mr. [Horst] Köhler, one of the issues is both the size of the staff that he would require and whether he would be based in Germany.  Would he as the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the Western Sahara be expected to be based in Germany?  And would he get to select his own team from people that he’s known historically as a diplomat or would they be UN DPA (Department of Political Affairs) personnel?

Deputy Spokesman:  Well, I wouldn’t have that level of detail about the nature of the appointment.  Like I said, what we try to do is make sure that they have offices that are functional and in place as part of the process before bringing them on board.

   Dujarric still refuses to disclose any specifics of the UN's "When Actually Employed" envoys. Nor, now, how large a staff Kohler requested. Now the ship full of phosphate taken from Western Sahara, Marshall Island-flagged NM Cherry Blossom, stopped in South Africa with reference to the International Court of Justice ruling has been ordered to stay until a full trial, which could take months to organize. From today's ruling:: "The ICJ’s judgement is clear: Morocco has no claim to sovereignty over Western Sahara. Its claim as result of its occupation of the territory is incompatible with the status of Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory. Furthermore, it acquired control of the territory by force. This, as a means of acquiring sovereignty, is contrary to customary international law... we conclude that howsoever Morocco's presence in Western Sahara may be described,  it does not exercise sovereignty  over the territory... OCP and Phosboucraa do not claim to have mined the phosphate in Western Sahara with the consent of the people of the territory.  They  do not and cannot  claim  to do so on behalf  of its people. Their  claim to mine  phosphate  for the benefit  of the people is disputed by the SADR and the PF: as most of the Sahrawi people live to the east of the berm or in refugee camps in Algeria, those who may benefit from the mining of phosphate are not the 'people of the territory'  but, more likely, Moroccan  settlers.” On June 13, UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric refused to answer this written question from Inner City Press: "Morocco has reportedly accused Christopher Ross of having been involved in setting up or preparing the Akdeim Izik camp - what is the Secretary General's response?" We'll have more on this. On May 5 Dujarric said Guterres "has communicated to his parties his preferred candidate to replace Christopher Ross, you know, who had announced his intention to leave.  Right now, the Kingdom of Morocco has not yet responded to the information passed on to it." As of May 31, no update. On May 31, Inner City Press asked Dujarric, UN transcript here: Inner City Press:  So the UN Global Compact has a provision where if NGOs or civil society complain against a corporation, they set up a talk, because that's the one thing that seems to be required of corporations is to actually engage with their critics.  So there's a company called [inaudible], which is under fire for exploitation of natural resources in Western Sahara.  And a group commented, and the Global Compact set up a dialogue between them and then cancelled it, saying that there had been leaks, and if there are leaks, no discussions.  And I just wanted to know, the group itself is unclear who is leaking.  They think the Global Compact did.  But is that… does… has the Secretary-General… since he's come in, has he looked at this mechanism of the UN having a body that raises corporations?  And is it enough to say…

Spokesman:  The Global… first of all, we have to look in the specific case. The Global Compact has, throughout years, removed companies that have not lived up to its ideals.  I will look into the specific case you mention.

  More than a day later, nothing. Dujarric's office didn't even look it up to get the company's name, preferring to call it "inaudible." It is Vigeo Eiris. And it's the Global Compact which did the publicizing they accuse others of. Dujarric offered no answer on June 1; on June 2 it was his deputy Farhan Haq who issued this: "The Secretary-General is deeply concerned over the plight of tens of thousands of Sahrawi refugees in Algeria, who will have their food rations cut due to lack of funding. Humanitarian aid, including food aid, is a lifeline for these refugees from Western Sahara. A recent survey highlighted the precarious nutrition situation in the Sahrawi refugee camps and the refugees' limited access to markets or livelihoods. A lack of funding has forced the World Food Programme (WFP) to cut food rations by almost one fifth this year, and to halt distributions of nutritional supplements to treat anaemia and malnutrition in pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children. Food rations will be further reduced to half in June, which could have a severe impact on the refugees' food security and nutritional status. The Secretary-General calls on donors to urgently increase their assistance to this often overlooked and vulnerable population. WFP requires US$7.9 million to continue providing vital food assistance over the next six months.
Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for Secretary-General
New York, 2 June 2017"

On May 15, Dujarric said "the last update I had is that we had not gotten approval from… the formality on a name to replace Mr. Ross.  We're still awaiting clearance." While pro-Morocco trolls insist this doesn't ascribe the delay to their King, in context it surely does. We'll have more on this: more questions, more stories. Watch this site.  Dujarric also, again, refused to explain the now week-long censorship of the Western Sahara stakeout of April 28. Now, after ten days of censorship, the UN has annexed the stakeout to this video and put it online, While it dispenses with pro-Morocco trolls' arguments,  explanations of the delay, and policy, remain needed. Inner City Press asked Dujarric for both and was told the UN likes to re-invent the wheel; no explanation was offered for the Turkish Cypriot Community getting their own, immediately archived UNTV stakeouts and this ten day delay. Watch this site. A ship moving phosphate taken from Western Sahara to New Zealand has been impounded in South Africa: the Marshall Islands flagged bulk carrier NM Cherry Blossom. The issue is the illegality of Morocco's exploitation of the natural resources of the Western Sahara territory it occupied, a question Inner City Press asked about at the UN Security Council stakeout on April 28, still not put online by the UN. So on May 4, Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric about both issues: the ship and exploitation of Western Sahara's natural resources. On the first, Dujarric merely alluded to Antonio Guterres' report. On the UN's ongoing censorship of the April 28 Q&A stakeout including on exploitation of resources, Dujarric said he has nothing new - it's been six days and we will keep asking. At Morocco's "Universal Periodic Review" at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on May 2, the representative of the US urged  the Kingdom of Morocco to release detained journalists, and Sweden called on Morocco to respect freedom of the press. This call is apparently not heard by Morocco's Ambassador to the UN Omar Hilale, who even after Inner City Press published a blurring Morocco-AU document at his request used the UNTV microphone to claim that all of Inner City Press' publication are anti-Morocco. Nor is the call heard by the UN, which five days after the back to back stakeouts by Hilale and the Polisario representative has refused to put the latter video online. Inner City Press for the third day -- "question 228" by Hilale's count -- asked Dujarric about the delay; he again offered no explanation despite this same scenario having arisen in the past. From the May 3 UN transcript: Inner City Press: I’m sorry to ask you this again, but it’s… the stakeout took place Friday.  It’s now Wednesday.  So it’s five days later.  You’d said that it’s something working on.  I’d like you to explain it, because in April 2016, after, I think, a shorter period of time, it was decided to append the Polisario stakeout behind Algeria.  What’s the difference now?

Spokesman:  When I’m ready to have something to announce.  I will announce it and I will explain it.

Inner City Press: Does that solution…?

Spokesman:  That’s all I can say.

  Censorship. 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. Three 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). So on May 1 Inner City Press asked the UN's holdover spokesman Stephane Dujarric, video here, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: This happened before, so maybe you’ll have an answer to it.  On Friday, after the meeting on Western Sahara, in the Security Council, there were three stakeouts, Morocco, Algeria and then Polisario.  And three days later, only Morocco and Algeria are up and not Polisario.  Now, the last time it took several days, and then it was appended behind Algeria.  How did the same thing happen again, or it hasn’t even been… [inaudible]

Spokesman:  I can look into it.

Inner City Press  But isn’t it… I mean, after last time…

Spokesman:  I said I would look into it.

   Seven hours later, nothing. So here is part of the video. What is wrong with the UN, and its DPI?  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.

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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