By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/unga64guinea092609.html
UNITED NATIONS, September 28 -- As those in the UN General Assembly listened to the foreign minister of Guinea-Conakry give a speech ranging from his military regime's preference for Morocco over Western Saharan, China over Taiwan, in Conakry his government shot and killed at least 150 people protesting the dictatorship.
Even just outside the UN's compound on First Avenue, a throng of Guineans protested, with signs calling coup leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara a liar and a killer. But most of the UN took no notice.
At the September 28 noon briefing, the spokesman for the President of the General Assembly was asked about the vote barring another coup leader, that of Madagascar, from speaking. Inner City Press asked why, by this logic, other coup leaders couldn't be barred. Video here, from Minute 19:44.
The response was that the Madagascar was was unique, sui generis to re-coin a phrase from Kosovo. But why?
In July of this year, Inner City Press asked the UN's envoy to Western Africa Said Djinnit what if anything the UN had done when previous Guinean president Lansasa Conte used his diplomatic status and immunity to traffic cocaine to Europe.
Djinnit said that he had been working with the leaders of the country, and appeared to blame Lonsana Conte's son(s) for the coke. But what was the UN doing in the run up to this bloodbath in Conakry?
Inner City Press inquired with the UN Spokesperson's office an hour after the Guinean speech, asking would there be some statement coming about about the killings in Guinea? There's something in the works, Inner City Press was told. Words but what action? Watch this space.
