Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un1minurso020408.html
UNITED NATIONS, February 4 -- The UN vaguely acknowledged last week that some of its peacekeepers may have engaged in vandalism of cave paintings in Western Sahara. Inner City Press asked which contingents were suspected, and what the UN was doing about it. UN Associate Spokesman Farhan Haq replied that "the Department of Peacekeeping Operations has requested UNESCO's assistance in evaluating the damage to the two sites and recommending what, if any, repair measures can be taken. UNESCO is currently putting together a group of qualified experts to travel to the area as soon as possible." On Monday at the UN, Inner City Press asked the Polisario Front's representative to the UN Ahmed Boukhari about the situation. Mr. Boukhari named the Croatian and Kenyan continents as being involved, and noted that some of the graffiti was pornographic in nature. He said that the UN should imposed discipline, and this was not so different from sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers. He said he expects the issue to be addressed in the Secretary-General's next report to the Security Council about the peacekeeping mission there, MINURSO.
Meanwhile Peter van Walsum, formally the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, briefed the Security Council and then rushed by the stakeout microphone. It was said he was too busy to talk to the press; more quietly it was said that as a mediator, he does not want to talk to the press. Nevertheless Inner City Press submitted, through the Office of the UN Spokesman channels proscribed by Peter van Walsum's Department of Political Affairs staffer, two questions, the answers to which will be reported on this site.
Speaking of running out of gas, the Council also on Monday issued a press statement calling on Eritrea to allow the UN peacekeepers there to re-fuel, or risk them leaving. Incoming Council president Ricardo Arias was directed to seek to speak with Eritrea's Ambassador. It appears that Eritrea is not trying to have the peacekeepers stay. Eritrean Charge d'affairs Tesfa Alem Seyoum wrote to Amb. Arias with an analysis of the Council's most recent resolution, saying it "dwells on tangential issues in an apparently desire to rationalize and justify the UN Security Council's failure to shoulder its legal obligations to date." It wouldn't be the first time. Watch this space.
