By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, October 3 -- These days it seems that the UN of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his top Peacekeeper Herve Ladsous only have eyes for Syria.
During General Debate week, neither man said nearly anything about Darfur, for example - but now four peacekeepers have been killed there. Might this have been a good place for the UN to show some leadership and focus on, during the General Debate, particularly since it Ladsous refused to answer another Press question about Sudan: what is the UN's role on resolving Abyei?
At Wednesday's UN noon briefing, Ban's spokeman Martin Nesirky had no answer to an Inner City Press question about public statements by the M23 mutineers in Eastern Congo that the killings in Goma are the fault of the government, and they may go in. Inner City Press asked,who does the UN think IS responsible for the killings in Goma?
How can Ladsous' Department of Peacekeeping Operations, which has the large MONUSCO mission there, not have a statement?
Instead, the answers given and emailed out are all about Syria. But even on that, when Inner City Press asked about public reports that UN staff had fled the Za'atari camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan, spokesman Nesirky had no information or answer.
On the breakdown of talks, after Ban spoke with each, between the presidents of Malawi and Tanzania -- which whom Ban held a press conference or photo op on Tuesday -- spokesman Nesirky would only say, when Inner City Press posited that the General Debate week had not made things better, "That's your analysis." Yes it is.
Inner City Press asked again about Abyei, now the South Sudan's top negotiator Pagan Amum has said South Sudan won't negotiate about it anymore, contrary to Paragraph 8 of the Communique Nesirky previously referred the Press too after Ladsous refused to answer. Any UN comment? Any UN role? Watch this site.
Update of 1:17 pm -- when Turkey's Permanent Representative Apakan went in then exited the Security Council, Inner City Press asked him, "Haiti related or shell related?" He exclusively told Inner City Press, "Shell related." Story soon.
