By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 7 --
On Western
Sahara while
UN spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric still
refuses to
comment on the
leaked cable
showing UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous
undermining
the MINURSO
mission on
human rights,
on November 7
Inner City
Press asked
Dujarric about
Morocco's
King's
speech.
Video
here.
Inner City
Press asked
Dujarric about
these quotes
of King
Mohammed VI:
"Morocco’s
sovereignty
over its
entire
territory is
effective,
inalienable
and
non-negotiable...
'No' to any
attempt to
reconsider the
principles and
criteria of
the
negotiation
process, or
any attempt to
revise and
expand the
MINURSO
mandate to
include such
matters as the
supervision of
the human
rights
situation."
While Ladsous'
views in the
cable support
or even parrot
this last,
against a UN
role in human
rights despite
Ban Ki-moon's
supposed
"Rights Up
Front" plan,
Dujarric on
November 7 had
a prepared
"If-Asked"
about the
speech, and
read:
"We’ve
seen the
speech. We
remain
committed to
our work as
per the
mandate of the
Security
Council on
Western Sahara
and in that
respect one
looks forward
to the speedy
resumption of
the
negotiation
process and
the
facilitation
of the
Personal Envoy
of the
Secretary
General,
Christopher
Ross, as well
as the
deployment of
the Special
Representative
of the
Secretary
General for
Western
Sahara, Kim
Bolduc, who’s
also the head
of the MINURSO
mission there.
As you know,
both Mr. Ross
and Ms Bolduc
briefed the
Council on
October 27 and
afterwards the
Council
reiterated its
desire to see
Mr. Ross’s
facilitation
resume, as
well as to see
Ms. Bolduc
take a her
duties at the
helm of
MINURSO as
soon as
possible. We
look forward
to Mr. Ross’s
visits to the
region, as
well as to the
deployment of
Ms. Bolduc."
Other leaked
cables discuss
Ms Bolduc, and
Mr Ross --
we'll have
more on these.
Inner City
Press asked
Dujarric to
provide by
e-mail the
"if-asked"
text that he
read; Dujarric
refused,
despite the
fact that his
Office
routinely
provides this
service to
other,
presumably
more friendly,
correspondents.
We'll have
more on this
as well.
Document leaks
from inside
the UN have
identified
improper
service of
Morocco, on
the question
of Western
Sahara, by a
staffer at the
Office of the
High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights, Anders
Kompass.
Inner
City Press
waited to
report on the
leaked
cable(s) - the
spokesperson
for the High
Commissioner
on November 5
said his
office is
aware the
leaked cables,
which contain
the
perspective of
certain
diplomats, and
that the
situation is
being
investigated
to clarify the
facts.”
Whatever
the
Office of the
High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights, now
under Jordan's
Prince Zeid,
does about the
content of the
leaks, more
will be
required in
the UN
Secretariat in
New York --
particularly
at the top of
the Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations,
which runs the
MINURSO
mission in
Western
Sahara.
The
cables show
that Herve
Ladsous, a long-time
French
diplomat now
the boss of
DPKO and
thus of
MINURSO, was
flacking for
Morocco on the
supposed
quality of its
human rights
mechanisms. This
directly
undercuts the
MINURSO
mission, for
which Ladsous
is supposed to
be working.
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