UNITED NATIONS, April 30 -- After hours of wrangling over Western Sahara, the UN Security Council past five o'clock on Friday passed a resolution for the annual extension of the mandate of the MINURSO mission there, without the contentious phrase "human rights" being included.
As Inner City Press reported throughout the day, in the Council's consultations room France and its former colony Gabon drew a line in the sand on Western Sahara. Hovering outside the consultations was Morocco's ambassador, as well as a representative of the Polisario Front. After twists and turns, posturing and the calling of bluffs, a compromise was reached and voted on.
There were only three changes to the draft resolution issued by the so-called Group of Friends, made up of France, the US, Russia, UK and Spain. The euphemism "human dimension" wasn't changed, but a reference to the roles of the UN system was added, which some argued meant human rights.
The word "reaffirms" was added to the first paragraph -- very tough -- and the word "existing" was added near the end. That was it, but it was enough for Uganda and Nigeria, and also Mexico, to remove their threats to abstain.
Afterwards, Inner City Press asked Morocco's Ambassador whether he understand the existing mandate of MINURSO to include holding a referendum with independence as an option, and why his country had so vehemently opposed any reference to human rights. He ignored the human rights questions, and said that rather than independence, a political process had begun.
Finally, after repeated dodges, Inner City Press got to ask him again about human rights, and whether Morocco's exploitation of the resources of Western Sahara is illegal. He said Morocco is against the misuse of human rights, and that he would provide figures showing how few resources of Western Sahara Morocco takes out. We'll be waiting.
Inner City Press asked Uganda's Ambassador what he thought of the Group of Friend's process. He said it was outmoded, and that next time an African Union country should be included, and maybe on from Latin America. (This apparently referred to Mexico's position.)
At the end, Polisario's representative came out, and openly denounced France. Inner City Press asked what natural resources are being exploited. Phosphate and fish, was the answer.
Afterwards Christopher Ross joked about Inner City Press' previously description of him as genial (as well as looking strangely like UN top political advisor B. Lynn Pascoe, who it was announced Friday is shortly to go on a delayed trip to Sri Lanka.) Several delegations re-confirmed to Inner City Press its report of China's quip that while it was usually described as with Russia, now French had joined it in its position on human rights.
French Ambassador Araud, who should have answered on this, was long gone, on his way to the UN's Greentree retreat about peacekeeping. A Council member told Inner City Press that Araud off the record had said the French position on Sahara was not necessarily his, but was decided from on high. Nicolas Sarkozy was in China. The annual showdown on Western Sahara now over, the UN breathed a sigh of relief and prepared for the NPT and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday. Watch this site.
