In DR Congo, Kabila Leaves UNSC Waiting, UN Won't Answer But Rwanda FM Mushikiwabo Does

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 4 -- The UN Security Council was in Kinshasa Friday night, planning to head to Eastern Congo on Sunday, but the UN in New York refused to answer basic Press questions such as if they would meet any opposition while in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.Video here and embedded below.

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, it must be noted, a week ago met with Saudi-sponsored Syria rebel boss Ahmad al Jarba, and ignored a protest under the UN Charter of France sponsoring Jarba in a UN meeting room as the "sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people."

Ban's spokesperson Martin Nesirky on Friday also refused to answer Inner City Press' request for information about the Security Council's meeting in Brussels with the EU Political and Security Committee, saying "ask Council members."

   That's a neat trick -- Ban's Office "in consultation" with France rejected Inner City Press' requests to accompany and cover the trip on the UN plane, as it did in 2010 and 2008.

  Even thus Banned, Inner City Press mid-day Friday reported that the topic of the International Criminal Court came up in the Brussels meeting and Council members were told that the ICC is controversial in Africa because of its politicization (not unlike Ban's and France's Jarba meetings.)

  For this African trip, France hand picked three media to go along as scribes, including Reuters (whose UN bureau has spied for the UN, click here) and US state media Voice of America. 

  Neither reported anything on the first day of the trip. The third media, a procedural Council reporter, was first to break radio silence -- and said that while Rwanda's president Paul Kagame has committed to meet the Council, a meeting with the DRC's Joseph Kabila was not yet confirmed. Amazing.

  When Inner City Press accompanied the Security Council in the past, it reported on waiting for hours in N'djamena while then French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert promised the Idriss Deby would come meet with Council member. 

  Deby never arrived, and Ripert in anger stopped speaking to the Press. (In fact, Ripert confronted Inner City Press in the Kigali airport, but that's another story.)

  By contrast to Nesirky's refusal to provide basic information, Rwanda's Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo when asked by Inner City Press what the Rwanda government hopes results from the Security Council tripanswered, "@innercitypress #UNSC #Rwanda Good/better understanding of regional reality, and what stakes are."

  So a foreign minister can be responsive, while Ban Ki-moon's Office of the Spokesperson is not? 

  Nesirky said that the function of his Office's staffer on the trip, Jerome Bernard, is only to "support the journalists on the trip" -- that is, those hand-picked by France. It seems M. Bernard himself was hand-picked: he worked for a dozen years for Agence France Presse.

  The Security Council still functions as a neo-colonial, non-transparent institution. This, not just the often cited vetoes, is what has held it back. Ban's Secretariat is too often a plaything of the P3. But we will continue to cover this trip. Watch this site.

   

On DRC Trip of UNSC, Despite UN & French Blackout, ICC Debated, Politicized as Child Soldiers & Chad, Opposition Ignored

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 4 -- With the UN Security Council delegation in Kinshasa dining tonight with that city's diplomatic community and officials of the UN Mission MONUSCO, at UN Headquarters a vague summary of their first meeting was given.

  Inner City Press asked UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky for more, to say what topics were discussed with the EU's Political and Security Committee. Nesirky, whose Office and France "in consultation" rejected Inner City Press to accompany the trip, now twice advising Inner City Press to "ask Council delegations."

  Well, we have. And while some have yet to explain why, it appears that unlike on Syria the Security Council will not meet with any opposition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

  Back in Brussels with the EUPSC, Inner City Press is informed that the discussion was almost entirely about the DRC, that the Kampala Talks with the M23 should be concluded and PSC Framework implemented, that Security Sector Reform should be pursued in other to allow development projects.

  One would think this vaunted Security Sector Reform would include action on the 41st and 391st Battalions implicated in 135 rapes in Minova in November 2012, with the US-trained 391st being implicated since in the desecration of corpses. We'll wait to hear from Security Council members on that.

  While it is sometimes true that a picture is worth a thousand words, tweeted photos of the UN Security Council's meeting with the EUPSC don't show that the International Criminal Court came up, and that it was counter-explained that the ICC is increasingly controversial in Africa. 

   This was clear from speeches (and no-shows) at the UN General Debate in New York last week. But it seems some int the EUPSC didn't understand it.

  To many, the ICC is viewed as politicized, not only because of its over-focus on Africa but also because it dispenses victor's justice. Were are the prosecutions of the supporters of Ouattara in Cote d'Ivoire? Of extremists among those who overthrew Gaddafi?

  Similarly politicized, in many's view, was the US announcement just as the trip began of child soldier recruitment penalties on Rwanda. These are denied, as to the Rwandan military. 

  Meanwhile for example Chad's Army is on the UN's list of child soldier recruiters -- and was accepted by UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous into the UN's Mali mission MINUSMA. Did HRW speak out against that, and Ladsous? We'll have more on this. Watch this site.

UNSC in Africa I: DRC-Bound, SC Delegation Which Includes Russia Meets European Group Just Back from Georgia, Diplomat Updates through Brussels Rain, Leopold's Ghost

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 4 -- On its way to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UN Security Council delegation stopped Friday in rainy Brussels and met with the Council of the EU's Political and Security Committee.

  While that body met in June with the Africa Union's better known PSC, the Peace and Security Council, its work on Africa since then has not been much reported on.

  Most recently, starting September 29 apparently through October 2, the EUPSC visited Georgia, including Gori, and discussed continued non-recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia's Petr Iliichev is accompanying the UNSC delegation.

  The EU, like the United States and the African Union, has its own envoy on the Great Lakes, on which we will be reporting more. But given the relative distribution for now of UN Peacekeeping resources between the DRC and collapsing Central African Republic, it seems the EUPSCcould or should be more relevant on CAR. But did the UNSC discuss CAR with them? We've asked.

  After two months of inaction, just as the UNSC trip left French Permanent Representative Gerard Araud told Inner City Press he would be distributing a draft resolution on CAR.

  After the October 2 "program of work" meeting, Inner City Press asked October's Council president Agshin Mehdiyev about the CAR draft -- as well as about DRC sanctions and why France was allowed to hand-pick the UN correspondents to accompany the Council's Great Lakes trip. UN Video here, from Minute 14:15.)

  Mehdiyev confirmed that Araud had said he WOULD distribute a draft resolution; he said that DRC Sanctions, a UNSC committee which he chairs, would not be the focus of the Great Lakes trip. 

  This might surprise the Congolese activists and supporters who met Thursday night at the NYC Bar Association discussing conflict mineral - click here for Inner City Press story on that including USUN / Dodd Frank Act question, here for UK question.

  But Mehdiyev did not answer on why France was allowed to pick (and ban) particular media to cover the trip. (This was confirmed by UN Spokesperson Martin Nesirky, see Inner City Press YouTube channel video here.)

  Off camera, other Council members have told Inner City Press they had not been informed that France would monopolize (and we'll say, abuse) the media selection process, which has become more outrageous with Araud dropping out from the trip. (Araud has been replaced at the last minute by his recently installed Deputy, Alexis Lamek, who one would think will be answering and updating on this, listed as a "co-head of mission.")

  The US leads the Rwanda leg of the trip; the UK leads on Uganda. Even as P5 / P3 members, they played no role? If not, this is dysfunction. While we will have more on this, for now we will appreciate and cover what updates are sent, like this one. So far from the media hand-picked by France, there is nothing. NOTHING. Watch this site.