By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 16 -- Today the Egyptian government's information service reported that "President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has received a phone call from Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Sahel region Romano Prodi. They discussed the latest regional developments, specially the situation in Libya and the Horn of African, said Presidency Spokesman Ihab Badawy."
But there's a problem -- Prodi was replaced as UN envoy on the Sahel back on May 1, by Hiroute Guebre Sellassie, who briefed the UN Security Council in that capacity on June 19.
So in what capacity did Prodi call Sisi? Inner City Press is inquiring - watch this site.
Also, how or why did the Kuwait News Service, among others, "report" on July 16, 2014 that Prodi is the UN's enovy on the Sahel?
Back on June 26, 2013, Inner City Press reported how it took Romano Prodi more than eight months to complete the Sahel report he presented to the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
During that time, Inner City Press received complaints from within the UN's Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions that Prodi was charging $1200 for travel between Bologna and Rome.
Diplomats complained about his ideas for a fund, and about the UNOWA operations in Dakar, Senegal.
After Prodi's low key presentation and consultations, June's Security Council president Mark Lyall Grant came to the stakeout, saying among other things that Morocco will prepare a Presidential Statement on the topic.
Inner City Press asked why the report took so long, if Prodi will has a role, and what the role of UNOWA would be in the strategy.
Lyall Grant replied, as transcribed by the UK Mission to the UN:
Lyall Grant: It was explained that there have been very close cooperation between UNDP and DPA in producing this report that, Mr Prodi himself said that, his job was to inject some new thinking, present the report, ensure that implementation began, but then fade away. He was not looking to sustain his role in the longer term. His role was not completed yet, but once the train, I think the expression he used was, once the train had left the station on implementation then he was not looking to do his role, continue his role, and that the next stage would be taken forward by perhaps operating out of the UNOWA office in Dakar. Now there was a recognition that the mandate of UNOWA of course goes much wider than the Sahel countries, but that UNOWA mandate was also on the Security Council’s agenda later this year and there might be some adjustment of that to take account of this fact.
The “train leaving the station” image brought to mind Prodi's travel and cost: seems he doesn't take the train. Another Council member told Inner City Press it was that Prodi said he wanted to see the train start moving. Would that be the gravy train? Watch this site.
