By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, December 10 -- Fresh from the snafu of UN's involvement in Cote d'Ivoire's contested election, it remained unclear Friday what role if any the UN will play in the recount of Haiti's election, and the run-off.
Inner City Press asked first the UN Spokesperson, then this month's Security Council president Susan Rice, who also mirrored the UN's position on whether it introduced cholera to Haiti.
At Friday's UN noon briefing, Inner City Press asked the UN's Martin Nesirky:
Inner City Press: the President of the electoral council there said yesterday, in light of all these, the swirling fraud allegations, et cetera, he said that… he read a statement saying that the ballots will be recounted with international observers and electoral officials watching. So I wanted to know, will the UN be playing any role in this; will they be observing a recount? Will they certify the results?
Spokesperson Nesirky: As I said to you, Mr. Le Roy is briefing the Council, and as part of that briefing he said that they are awaiting clarification about the Commission’s terms of reference and membership. So that’s still not clear.
Less than an hour later, US Ambassador Susan Rice came to the Security Council stakeout position to read out a Council press statement. Inner City Press asked her:
Inner City Press: On the recount, did the Council discuss, and, separately, would the U.S. support some kind of a UN role in observing the recount and certifying the results? And also, on cholera, given the allegations that somehow the peacekeepers may have brought it, which may or may not be true, is there any reform that you can think of, in terms of sending people from one part of the world to another, in terms of what the DPKO can do better to just take the issue off the table?
AMBASSADOR RICE: The fact is that no one can determine conclusively where the cholera strain originated. And certainly it has been the U.S. view, and I think, appropriately, the view taken by the United Nations, that it is far more important at this crucial stage, when people are dying and contracting the disease in high numbers, to figure out how to prevent and treat the epidemic, rather than focus principally on its origins, which can never be medically determined with certainty.
With respect to the electoral process, obviously the Council did discuss, having heard Under-Secretary-General Le Roy's briefing, the importance we attach to the will of the Haitian people being respected, and that all efforts being made by the responsible Haitian authorities and by the responsible international monitors and observers is welcome to try to ensure that, as this process unfolds, that there is transparency and maximum support as needed and requested by the authorities to ensure that the ultimate result is free and fair.
We'll see.
