By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, September 20, more here -- Across First Avenue from the UN on the Saturday before the General Debate, the chants were "Stop the killing in Sudan" and "Bashir to the ICC" (a sign added Ahmed Haroun), then "Shame on Ban Ki-moon."
The UN, protected by large NYPD cement blocks, seemed unconcerned, preparing for the projection of environmental images against its facade four hours later.
The head of UN Peacekeeping, Herve Ladsous, met with ICC-indictee Omar al-Bashir, and refused to answer Press questions about what was discussed. (Video compilation here, UK coverage here). His Department of Peacekeeping Operations flew ICC-indicted Haroun in a UN helicopter to Abyei to talk to the same type of pro-government militia he led in war crimes in Darfur.
Now even as the Mission in Darfur UNAMID is belatedly investigating itself for covering up attacks on civilians, the head of UNAMID Chambas is being given another post, atop UNOWA in Dakar, Senegal, as Inner City Press first reported. This is today's UN.
Back on July 15 when the Coalition for the International Criminal Court and Human Rights Watch came to brief the UN press corps about the ICC, Inner City Press asked them about Ladsous meeting with Bashir, and about his mission in the Congo flying the leader of the FDLR militia at least to Kinshasa.
CICC convenor William Pace replied that the UN Secretariat should be instructed to limit all non-essential contacts.
HRW's Richard Dicker said he was unaware of Ladsous' meeting with Bashir -- strange, since HRW's UN lobbyist has been queried about it -- but correctly brought up UN Peacekeeping's previously flying in Sudan of Ahmed Harun.
"That same standard applies to FDLR leadership,” Dicker said. Well, who's going to tell Ladsous, or the French government which installed Ladsous as the fourth French head of UN Peacekeeping in a row?
There was talk of how ICC judges are elected. Inner City Press previously reported on France offering to support a candidate deemed unqualified if his country would support France's candidate. Maybe they never heard of that one, either? Watch this site.
