By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/ukun1twitsri031010.html
UNITED NATIONS, March 10, updated -- It's all the rage in diplomatic spin: UK foreign secretary David Miliband is taking questions by Twitter today, during his two day stay in Boston. The UK consulate there has been soliciting questions, saying they will be answered throughout the day.
At the UN in New York, Inner City Press has asked Miliband questions at the Security Council stakeout, several times receiving wordy answers the meaning of which was not entirely clear.
Perhaps the format of 140 characters -- less with all the hash marks -- in the questions and especially the answers will make Miliband's meaning more clear. Here are two questions tweeted to the UK consulate as per their instructions on Wednesday morning by Inner City Press:
1) Has UK cut aid to WFP in #Somalia, and if so what is required for the aid to hungry Somalis to be resumed? #askfs
2) If #SriLanka refuses to investigate war crimes does UK think the UN should name a panel of inquiry as in Guinea? #askfs
The background to the first question is that while the UN and its Mark Bowden have publicly questioned the restrictions on aid by the U.S., which says funds are being diverted to Al Shabaab, the UK's position is less clear. And with the UK's John Holmes in charge of the UN's humanitarian operations, some wonder if his office would point the finger at the UK.
In the past week, Inner City Press has asked the UN's spokesman Martin Nesirky, himself a Brit, for an update on restrictions on UN system operations and funding in Somalia, and to explain UN envoy Ould Abdallah's call for the UN to return to Mogadishu when, apparently, he can't. Still there have been no answers. At least on the first question, perhaps Miliband can answer.
On the second question, Miliband's then-UN Ambassador John Sawers, before he returned to London and spy-hood, told Inner City Press that the UK had "had the votes" to put Sri Lanka on the Security Council's agenda during the blood bath on the beach stage of the conflict in the Spring of 2009, but chose not to, in the name of Council unity, perhaps on other issues.
Sawers' successor Mark Lyall Grant speaks much less frequently to the press at the Council stakeout. So the question must go to the traveling Miliband. Watch this site -- and Twitter, @innercitypress, click here.
Update: while UK Foreign Secretary David Milliband did not, as UK embassies in the U.S. had appeared to promise, respond to Inner City Press' timely submitted question about the investigation of and accountability for war crimes, the following was later received:
Subject: Sri Lanka
From: Brian.McGuigan, British Embassy, Washington
To: Inner City Press
Date: Fri, Mar 12, 2010
Matthew, We're sorry that the Foreign Secretary was not able to answer your question on Twitter. We'd still like to give you a response from the British Government, however.
This was a war without witness. The UK supports any credible process to address possible violations of international humanitarian law by both sides to the conflict. Such a process could advance the prospects of national reconciliation. Whatever the outcome of the UN process, the GoSL retains primary responsibility to investigate possible war crimes committed on its territory and we urge it to do so.
