By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, November 16, updated below -- The UN Security Council ministerial meeting on Sudan was kicked off Tuesday morning by UK Foreign Minister William Hague reading out a Presidential Statement, largely boilerplate about the Southern Sudan referendum scheduled for January 9. On Darfur, it condemned “militia attacks on civilians,” then government aerial bombardments.
The day previous, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's acting Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq about one such bombing:
Inner City Press: over the weekend, there was this incident in which the South Sudanese said that Khartoum or the Sudanese Air Force has bombed Southern Sudanese territory. What has been found about the casualties, injuries and what comments does the UN have on this bombing in South Sudan territory?
Acting Deputy Spokesperson Haq: We don’t. We were trying to get some information, but we didn’t have a confirmation of that particular fighting. If we get any further details, including a confirmation, we’d have something.
But for the rest of the day, and the following morning, no information was provided. As with attacks in Darfur, the UN tries to not see and not report. And to not be seen -- while envoys to Sudan Haile Menkerios and Ibrahim Gambari are to brief the Council on Tuesday, it will be by video and only in closed consultations, not allowing any questions from the Press.
Among the questions Gambari is ducking is his negotiation with Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Karti, in attendance Tuesday, to turn over five supporters of Fur rebel Abdel Wahid Nur to the government of Omar al Bashir, indicted already for war crimes and genocide.
Gambari has tried to get a written commitment against the death penalty -- many doubt its credibility -- while saying nothing about evidence that Sudan engages in torture. To many, it is a new low for the UN.
The Council itself has shown a failure to follow through. After they visited the Abu Shouk camp in Darfur on October 8, people who had planned and attended the meetings were harassed and arrested by the Sudanese authorities. So far nothing has been done.
The UN's humanitarian chief Valerie Amos, visiting a month later, at first spoke of “fear,” then modified that to blame the internally displaced people for not meeting with her.
While the European Union held a session on Sudan on November 14, attended by some 60 people, many EU member states have yet to follow through on this commitments to the “Basket Fund” for the Southern Sudan referendum.
After Hague read out the Presidential Statement, Ban Ki-moon read a speech. On Darfur, he blamed the rebels for not joining the supposedly successful Doha negotiation process, moribund until December 19.
Hillary Clinton walked in, rebuffing a question about what she expected from the meeting. One might have asked, why did you decouple Darfur?
In the chamber, Thabo Mbeki spoke by scratchy video link which few could understand. Hague said there had been a power failure in Jo'burg, which Mbeki denied. He would be followed by Ali Karti, Pagan Amum of the SPLM then Hillary.
In order thereafter, Spindelegger of Austria -- which hosted a human rights reception on Monday night, no mention of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, Sven Alkalaj of Bosnia, Odein Ajumogobia of Nigeria, Henry Okello Oryem of Uganda, Takeaski Matsumoto of Japan, Antonio de Aguiar Patroita of Brazil then mere Ambassadors. Watch this space.
Update of 10:37 am - Ali Karti says his government met its responsibilities to the referendum, denounces Darfur rebels as “saboteurs” who hide behind civilians. Outside the meeting, so far two people have fallen on the stairs, including the EU's representative Rosalind Marsden. An African diplomat tells Inner City Press the AU shound be running the show.
A sad and telling e-mail from the UN Department of Public Information:
Subject: Correction - the Security Council meeting is on the Sudan NOT on Darfur
From: Dpi Mdc [at] un.org
Date: Tue, Nov 16, 2010 at 10:18 AM
Media Documents Centre
Update of 11:03 am -- Hague, speaking for UK, says “What I have heard today from our four distinguished briefers convinces me that there can be peace and stability in Sudan.” But this was written BEFORE any of the four briefers spoke. It seems doubtful that Ali Karti of Sudan shared his statement with the UK before he delivered it. Hague as clairvoyant?
Update of 11:10 am - while Hillary Clinton says Darfur important, says journalists and activists arrested “some merely for speaking to members of this Council,” she does not explain why Obama administration now offers to take Sudan off terrorism sanctions list without regard to what they do in Darfur. Will she take a question on this?
