By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 7 -- Why
would Economic
Community Of
West African
States, under
the leadership
of Alassane
Ouattara of
Cote d'Ivoire,
be trying to
give the de
facto
leaders of
Guinea Bissau
a full year
as a reward
for their coup
d'etat?
This
question was
asked in and
out of two
long meetings
Monday at the
UN, the first
of
the Security
Council,
and the
afternoon
session
involving the
European Union
among others
as well.
Outside
the second
meeting, after
6 pm, Inner
City Press
asked Salamatu
Hussaini
Suleiman,
ECOWAS'
Commissioner
for Political
Affairs, about
the 12
month
proposal. She
answered at
length, that a
"holistic"
approach is
needed, to
solve Guinea
Bissau's
problems "once
and
for all."
"The
twelve
months for the
transition
period is for
updating
voting
register, for
example, and
other
reforms." But
there was a
first round,
that
the Security
Council wisely
or not called
mostly free
and fair.
Standing
next to
and escorting
Salamatu
Hussaini
Suleiman was
Ivorian
Ambassador
Bamba, who won
his credential
at the UN to
represent
Alassane
Ouattara with
some fanfare.
Superficially,
the
fact that
Ouattara was
helped to
power by the
UN Security
Council and
France in the
name of
democracy led
to even more
consternation
at
ECOWAS under
his leadership
going soft on
democracy.
But
a well placed
Council source
pointed out to
Inner City
Press that
during
Ouattara's
standoff with
defiant
hold-over
President
Laurent
Gbagbo,
"Angola
took Gbagbo's
side." Now
Angola is main
player in the
Portuguese
Speaking
Community
configuration
CPLP, and IS
the MISSANG
mission in
Guinea Bissau.
So Ouattara
"goes in the
other
direction. But
on Mali too?
Inner
City Press
asked ECOWAS'
Salamatu
Hussaini
Suleiman about
Mali as well.
She said
the situation
there is
"better" than
in Guinea
Bissau, in
that there is
a Malian
"transitional
government."
She
said,
"Definitely we
are looking at
the problems
in Mali as
well...
There is a
transitional
government in
place, it is
easier to work
with that
resolution and
put the
reforms in
place."
But,
she
noted, there
are the rebels
in the north.
Yes. And some
wonder
how troops
from Nigeria
and Cote
d'Ivoire would
fare in hot
desert
conditions in
Timbuktu.
Watch this
site.
