After Demarche, Sudan Still Blocks UN Expert Schbley, UNSC Reaction?

By Matthew Russell Lee

 

UNITED NATIONS, December 13 -- A week after Sudan made public its exclusion of the new Expert on Sudan Sanctions appointed last month by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Ghassan Schbley of the United States, on December 13 it reiterated its "blacklisting," Sudan's Ambassador told Inner City Press.

   After the Security Council heard a briefing on Darfur from International Criminal Court prosecutor Bensouda, Inner City Press asked Council president Loulicki of Morocco if he had "demarched" Sudan.

  Loulichki told Inner City Press, "I was asked to do it and I did. Now I will report to the Council, before anything else."

  Moments later, Inner City Press asked Sudan's Permanent Representative Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman about the meeting, if Schbley is still blacklisted.

 Yes, Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman told Inner City Press, he is still on the blacklist until he reconsiders his positions against the interests of the Republic of Sudan.

  So now what? Back on December 7, US Mission's Deputy Spokesperson Payton L. Knopf told Inner City Press, "unfettered access for Panels of Experts is a fundamental principle. It is unacceptable that Sudan or any country would prevent a member of a Panel of Experts from conducting his or her work as mandated by the Security Council."

  Now that Ambassador Susan Rice has removed her name from contention for US Secretary of State, this could be a focus.

  A day later, another Security Council diplomat told Inner City Press, "The turning back of the Expert at Khartoum airport despite his being in possession a valid visa was totally unacceptable, particularly since the reason given was that the Expert had been ‘blacklisted’ because of his previous work on the Somalia/Eritrea Monitoring Group.

"This was raised at the Sudan Sanctions consultations and it was agreed that the Council President should express concern to the Sudanese Permanent Representative on behalf of the Council and seek his assurance that there would be no repeat."

  But now Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman has said Schbley is still on the blacklist, until he "reconsiders" his positions against the interests of the Republic of Sudan.

  Inner City Press asked when Loulichki will inform the Council of this answer.

Footnote: while ICC prosecutor Bensouda did not do a UN TV stakeout, Inner City Press asked her if there are any new investigations of the M23 or its supporters, beyond Bosco. No, she replied, "not at this time." See above - and watch this site.