Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/un3bashir030509.html
UNITED NATIONS, March 5 -- The situation in Sudan is the UN's main focus, as stated Thursday by its Spokesperson who declined to take questions on any other subject. But while purporting to focus, the UN on Thursday could not answer basic questions. Inner City Press asked deputy humanitarian coordinator Catherine Bragg if the NGOs described as expelled from Sudan will be able to continue to run programs in South Sudan, from offices in Khartoum. "I don't have information on that," Ms. Bragg replied. "I'll have to check." Video here, from Minute 20:41. Seven hours later, no information had been provided.
But at 9 p.m. on Thursday, the Security Council announced that it will meet on Sudan at 3 p.m. on Friday.
Inner City Press asked Ms. Bragg if the UN considered Omar al-Bashir's expulsion order a violation of international humanitarian law. "I'm not a legal expert," Ms. Bragg replied, "so I can't answer that for you. But the UN's top lawyer Patricia O'Brien, at an on-camera press conference earlier in the week, told Inner City Press she would not answer any questions except on the Hariri Tribunal, and would not commit to any further press availabilities.
On March 4, the UN Spokesperson tried to argue that Ban was not calling on Sudan to hand Bashir over to the ICC in the Hague because Sudan is not bound by the indictment -- a position that ignores the UN Security Council resolution calling on Sudan to comply and cooperate with the ICC. Clearly, someone is given bad legal advice. But who?
And see, www.innercitypress.com/un3bashir030509.html
