UNITED NATIONS, April 12 -- With renewed chaos in the Congo even the UN's sanctions team has been crippled, by Chinese blocking of full staff-up so that only one of the positions in Goma is filled.
This sanctions committee detailed in the past involvement by UN-supported government troops in illegal mining. Now its reporting powers are curtailed, sources tell Inner City Press, and few complain out loud.
Complaints about UN envoy to the Congo Alan Doss, on the other hand, continue to grow. Already the Congolese Ambassador to the UN has said the government has opposed him continuing past June. The names bandied about, beyond the French (Guehenno and Ripert), including former U.S. Ambassador to Kinshasa William Garvelink. Il parle francais.
Regarding the shamelessly drawn out UN investigation of Alan Doss' nepotism email, in which he urged UNDP to show him "leeway" and give a job to his daughter, the issue was raised again without answer at the UN noon briefing on April 12. How can it take ten months for the UN to investigate a six line email? "Ask Alan Doss," was the answer. Which would seem to mean he'll take the question, and have an answer.
Meanwhile, the Security Council on April 12 decided to shorten its upcoming Africa trip. It was to run Friday to Friday; now only to Tuesday. French Ambassador Gerard Araud, who will lead the shortened trip, will describe it to the Press on April 13.
While the Council's president Yukio Takasu told the Press on Monday that it was the heated program of work -- heated by Iran, was the subtext -- that required a shorter trip, the reality is that once Susan Rice dropped out, as Inner City Press reported on April 7, the trip lost much of its luster.
