UNITED NATIONS, May 30 -- As the UN Security Council members set off to six countries in Africa, questions have been raised about the place on their agenda of justice, as well as of transparency. UK Ambassador John Sawers briefed the media about the three days the delegation will spend in Sudan, in Khartoum, Juba and Darfur. Inner City Press asked if the issue of the two International Criminal Court indictees, Ahmad Harun and Ali Kushayb, will be raised to President Al Bashir. Ambassador Sawers replied that "of course our conversations with all the various leaders that we meet will be confidential and we'll decide at the time what to say to the press afterwards." Video here
Rather than answer the question directly, he went on to cite the Council's terms of reference for the trip, which he said include underlining the importance of compliance with all previous Security Council resolutions, the rules of law and due process. He did not mention impunity.
Inner City Press asked Ambassador Michel Kafando of Burkina Faso whether, during the Cote d'Ivoire leg of the trip, the recently-raised issue of sexual abuse and exploitation by UN peacekeepers will be pursued with the UN Mission's senior leadership. Ambassador Kafando said, "These are important issues that we cannot just gloss over," and said they would be raised even to the leadership of the country, including president Laurent Gbagbo. He went on to note that the Security Council is only supporting the political process, mediated by the president of Burkina.
Less restrained was French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, who along about the four has full charge of two separate legs of the trip, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Chad, in connection with which he twice mentioned the Central African Republic. He did not say whether in Chad there will be any meetings with opposition or human rights groups.
And see, www.innercitypress.com/unsc1pre053008.html
