As
200
Killed in
Yemen, UN
Silence
Attributed to
Obama
Campaign, Gulf
Hypocrisy
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
March 6,
updated March
7 -- With
Yemen the
topic for the
UN Security
Council on
March 7, some
wonder why
there's been
not move by
the Council to
issue a
statement
about the
killing of
nearly 200
Yemeni
soldiers in
South Yemen in
recent days.
"The
Council speaks
about five
deaths," a
well placed
diplomat
marveled to
Inner City
Press on
Tuesday night.
"Even about a
planned attack
that killed no
one. Now two
hundred deaths
are being
ignored?"
But
no one ever
said that the
Council is
consistent.
The source
went on to
analyze that
one reason
explained the
Security
Council's
silence: it's
most powerful
member.
"What
is Obama
running on?"
the UN source
asked
rhetorically.
"On killing
Osama bin
Laden, on
supposedly
beating down
Al Qaeda.
Except Al
Qaeda as
actually
growing now in
Yemen, after
the immunity
deal for Saleh
that Obama
supported.
Now Al Qaeda
thinks they
can take over
Aden, they
think the
government is
weak and they
are right. But
nothing will
be said until
November."
Ali
Saleh came to
New York,
ostensibly for
medical
treatment. UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon told
Inner City
Press, when
asked, that he
hadn't really
raised to
Saleh the
issues of
accountability
and impunity.
The
same Gulf
Cooperations
Council
countries now
talking of
sending
Syria's Assad
to the
International
Criminal Court
signed off on
an impunity
deal with Ali
Saleh. Even
Qatar which
ostensibly
distanced
itself from
the GCC's
impunity deal
has just
hosted ICC
indicted Omar
al Bashir.
Hypocrisy?
Politics? What
else, at the
UN? Watch this
site.
Update
of March 7:
after the
briefing the
UK is to draft
and circulate
a press
statement; at
3 pm UK's Mark
Lyall Grant
told Inner
City Press
he'd like the
silence
procedure to
end at 5 pm.
, 
