On
Yemen, Talk of
How Near Was
Deal Before
Saudi Strikes
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
27 -- In a UN
announcement
about Yemen on
Saturday
morning the
other shoe
dropped and
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon named
Ismael Ould
Cheikh Ahmed
to replace
Jamal Benomar
as envoy. Then
on Monday, the
UN Security
Council heard
Benomar's last
briefing;
Russia's
Ambassador
Churkin spoke
to the press
as he left the
Council.
Churkin
said, "They
were very
close. Only as
far as I can
tell from his
description of
the situation.
They agreed on
a whole series
of
arrangements
for settling
the political
crisis. The
only remaining
issue was the
way the
collective
leadership
would be
structured.
The role of
president
Hadi, how the
collective
leadership was
going to work.
So it's one
remaining
issue, but
it’s a very
big issue."
Of
the Saudi-led
airstrikes,
Churkin said,
"We were very
unhappy
because we
knew what the
consequences
were going to
be. We are
involved in a
major
evacuation
campaign of
Russian
citizens and a
number of
other
countries
including
dozens of
American
citizens who
were taken out
of Yemen."
Switching
to Syria,
Churkin told
the press,
"Now there is
another very
dangerous
phenomenon,
you can see it
in Yemen now,
you can see it
in Syria,
where the
terrorist
groups are
being involved
with others to
pursue
political
certain
objectives in
a military
campaign. We
see it in
Yemen and we
see it in
Syria, you
could read a
number of
American
newspapers
over the
weekend where
they’re
describing how
the recent
military
successes of
the opposition
are explained
by the fact
that the Free
Syrian Army is
cooperating
with Jabhat al
Nusra. So this
seems to be a
new step in
legitimizing
terrorist
groups in that
part of the
world."
Asked if any
other Council
member(s) also
expressed this
view, Churkin
said "I was
the only one
who voiced
this concern.
It happens
quite often."
Later
Benomar and
the Council's
president for
April spoke,
but both
during the
UN's noon
briefing,
where Inner
City Press
asked more
questions,
watch this
site.
Three times
Inner City
Press has
asked the
Office of the
UN
Spokesperson
why Ould
Cheikh Ahmed
is not listed
on Ban's
webpage of
public
financial
discloure and
to say, yes or
no, if he has
an interest in
a business
which received
funding from
the Gulf.
Three times
the Office of
Spokesperson
promised to
look into and
give an
answer, but
never did.
On
April 24,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric:
Inner
City Press:
Okay.
I'm also
informed of a
letter from
political
parties in
Yemen,
including
those
representing
Houthis and
others,
directed at
the
Secretary-General
making two
requests.
One, that Mr.
Ould Cheikh
Ahmed not be
named as a
replacement to
Mr. [Jamal]
Benomar and
that someone
be appointed
or retained
who actually
they will
speak
with.
And I wanted
to know… you
may not know
of this letter
yet, but I'm
reliably
informed it is
either there
or on its way…
Spokesman:
All
right. I
will look for
the letter.
Inner City
Press:
And I guess my
question would
be, do you…
has the
Secretary-General…
since we've
already… we've
heard from
some of the
ambassadors
from the
Security
Council that
he's put
forward a
name.
Did he put any
effort to
speak to the
parties on the
ground in
Yemen, the
actual
Yemenis?
Spokesman:
I think the…
when we're
ready to
announce the
person, we
will.
Obviously, for
a… an
appointment as
delicate as
this… as this
ongoing… to
represent the
Secretary-General
in this
ongoing
crisis, it is
normal to have
as broad of a
consultation
as possible,
and what is
obviously
extremely
important is
that once that
envoy is
named, that
adviser is
named, that
all the
parties give
him access and
engage with
him.
Inner City
Press:
If you get the
letter, will
you squawk
it? Does
it mean that
these parties
that wrote…
Spokesman:
I think…
Question:
…once
consulted…
Spokesman:
It's an
ongoing
humanitarian
crisis.
It's an
ongoing
conflict.
And we are
trying to get
the political
process back
on
track.
So we'd like
to have a
special envoy
as soon as… a
Special
Adviser as
soon as
possible, and
again hope
that all the
parties engage
with him.
Question:
Didn't you
have one?
That's my
question.
Didn't you
actually have
a Special
Adviser?
Spokesman:
Yes, we have
Mr. Benomar…
Question:
Is it your
understanding
that he's
entirely
unwilling to
continue in
the post?
Spokesman:
Well, I think
he's… he's…
he's expressed
his desire to
move on and,
as we said, we
are… we're in
the process of
naming
somebody
shortly.
No response
about the
letter,
either. This
does not bode
well.
After
Saudi Arabia
was allowed to
oust UN
mediator Jamal
Benomar for
being
insufficiently
supportive of
its
airstrikes,
the UN is
being
promoted,
again, as an
honest
broker.
How so, when
the UN is
UNtransparently
naming as a
replacement
mediator an
individual who
previously
failed in
Yemen,
refusing to
make public
financial
disclosure?
How weak and
untransparent
is today's
UN? It
it apparently
considering
appointing as
replacement
envoy to Yemen
a partial
individual
whom one side
has indicated
it would not
speak with.
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