By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, November 11, updated -- The UK called Sudan their priority when they took over the Presidency of the UN Security Council for November. But they haven't called Sudan -- that is, for the November 16 ministerial level meeting on Sudan, the UK has yet to announce the format or participants, nor to convey any invitation to Sudan's Foreign Minister Ali Karti.
Inner City Press asked UK Permanent Representative Mark Lyall Grant about this just outside the Council on November 10. He acknowledged no invitation had been sent to Karti, saying the format had yet to be decided. He added that South Sudan's representative would already by in New York.
On November 11, other Council sources told Inner City Press that the UK as president is nearly entirely in charge of “it's” November 16 debate. So far they say it has been decided that Thabo Mbeki (by video link-up) and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will speak in the open meeting; the participation of Khartoum has not yet been decided. What is known is that the UK's William Hague will preside and, it is said, Hillary Clinton will be present.
Now that the US has "detached" Darfur from its terrorism sanctions on Sudan, to many there is an even greater risk that the November 16 meeting, and Security Council for the rest of the year, will turn an increasingly blind eye to Darfur. The UK's lack of transparency for the November 16 meeting, and so far this month, has done nothing to allieviate these concerns.
For the closed door consultations after the open session, it has yet to be finalized that Haile Menkerios of UNMIS and Ibrahim Gambari of UNAMID in Darfur will appear by video, along with Benjamin Mkapa.
The UK has told other members to expect a Presidential Statement, but early November 11 a non Permanent member complained to Inner City Press it had seen no draft.
The UK is excluding not only those media which most closely follow Sudan, but also the other Council members. We'll see.
