By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/un1sudov021310.html
UNITED NATIONS, February 13 -- After the UN Security Council held a meeting about Darfur on February 11 -- it was rushed according to Sudan, leaving only UN Peacekeeping's number three official to brief -- the press stakeout remained empty.
The French presidency of the Council did not come out and summarize the closed down discussions. The US Mission to the UN did not come out and speak, a pattern of silence some reasons for which the Mission does not want reported. But a Sudanese diplomat gave his version of the background to the meeting, and U.S. Congressman Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) spoke exclusively to Inner City Press, calling for more to be done, including about weapons flooding South Sudan, "coming in from China," he said.
Rep. Smith told Inner City Press, "We should be doing more. We had Gration speak, but it has to become a front burner issue. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement is at risk if there is no agreement in the North."
He recounted meeting President Omar Al Bashir, "before going to Darfur. All he talked about was lifting sanctions."
Inner City Press asked Rep Smith if he favored or opposed the U.S. joining the International Criminal Court. "I'm not against it, but I'm not yet for it," he said. He said the General Wesley Clark had be "charged with crimes against humanity" due to bombs dropped from U.S. planes flying "over three thousand feet."
A Sudanese diplomat, meanwhile, told Inner City Press that the Security Council's meeting would have made more sense later, with new UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari, but "France wanted to rush it, before Gambari -- so they ended up with only Mr. Titov [the #3 in UN Peacekeeping] and not even Le Roy."
Meanwhile, while the UN Mission in Darfur UNAMID flies around a delegation from the Arab League, for resettlement of IDPs, U.S. envoy Scott Gration prepares to visit. At the UN, little is being said for now on the record: it's only Sudan, and visitors. Watch this site.
