While Susan Rice Tells Inner City Press Sudan Glasnost “Would Be Nice,” Some Compare to US Reaction to Myanmar

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 3 -- When U,S Ambassador Susan Rice spoke to the press in front of the Security Council on Wednesday, her first topic was Mali.

   Inner City Press asked her about Sudan, about Omar al Bashir's announcement that political prisoners would be released. What's the US view, Inner City Press asked, of this supposed glasnost in Khartoum?

  “That would be nice,” Ambassador Rice said and smiled. Then she added the hope that the term political prisoner be defined as broadly for release as while being taken into custody.

  Also on Wednesday Fatou Bensouda the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, where Bashir has been indicted for genocide, is visiting the US State Department in Washington, meeting Stephen J. Rapp.

  One wonders if the UN not only partying with Bashir, but offering free flights to his fellow ICC indictee Ahmed Harun, will come up between Bensouda and Rapp.

  At a UN press conference on Tuesday, Inner City Press asked April's Security Council president Eugene Richard Gasana if he or Rwanda thought the Council should have given Sudan mediator Thabo Mbeki the press statement he asked for, praising the Sudans for the Implementation Matrix.

  Gasana said the relationship between the Security Council and African Union is improving. But if Mbeki favored a Council press statement for the Implementation Matrix, how much more so for actual releases of political prisoners?

  Forget glasnost - compare it to the West's reaction to Myanmar's releases, notwithstanding or ignoring the violence against Muslims in that country. A cynic or inciter might conclude that religion is the difference. Watch this site.

New Sudan Letter Claims Wiretap Shows Juba Aimed to Burn All Heglig Oil

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, April 23, updated -- Sudan on Monday told US Ambassador Susan Rice, as president of the Security Council, that it "has evidence in the form of a recorded telephone conversation on April 20... where [South Sudan] General Taaban Deng is giving clear orders to the commander to burn all the oil facilities in Heglig."

  Inner City Press obtained a copy of the letter, even before concerned Permanent Representatives on the Council had received it, and is seeking a copy of the recorded phone call. 

  If true it would bolster the claim, including by a member of the Thabo Mbeki High Level Panel, that moves are afoot to try to move Omar al Bashir from power by cutting off income from his government in Khartoum, the theory being that Bashir could only last six months without oil money, while South Sudan could last eight months or a year.

Update of 3:10 pm -- Ambassador Rice told Inner City Press, as the afternoon's Security Council session started, that the Council will be briefed and hold consultations on the Sudans tomorrow.

  Sudan's letter also states that the South Sudanese forces did not leave Heglig voluntarily, but rather were ousted by the Sudanese army. A Sudanese diplomat on Monday morning told Inner City Press that "people in Sudan are angry," as an explanation for Bashir's statements in Heglig. Things are escalating.

  A Security Council member late Monday morning told Inner City Press exclusively that his delegation's information, with photographs, is that it might take six to eight months to get Heglig oil production "up and running" again. 

  In Washington on Friday, April 20 Inner City Press asked State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland

Inner City Press: about Heglig, the South Sudanese army has said that it’s pulling out of this disputed town that it went into. Sudan is claiming that they threw them out, and I guess President Kiir has said that he’s pulling back voluntarily based on calls from a variety of parties, including the U.S. What’s the U.S. understanding? Are they leaving? And are they leaving voluntarily, or have they been ejected?

MS. NULAND: Well, we welcome the announcement from South Sudan that they will withdraw their forces from Heglig. We urge them to completely and fully withdraw all Sudanese forces from Heglig. In parallel, we’re also calling on the Government of Sudan, as we have regularly, to halt their own cross-border attacks, particularly the provocative aerial bombardments that – so that we can get back to a place where these two sides are working together and using mechanisms like the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism to work through their issues.

As you know, our special envoy, Princeton Lyman, has been there all week. I think he briefed some of you yesterday by telephone. He had a very productive series of meetings in Juba and in Khartoum. And yesterday he made clear that it’s not just the United States; it’s the entire international community that’s working together to get this violence ended.

Watch this site.

UN Spins Gambari Greeting ICC Indictee Bashir at Reception As "African Tradition"

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 27 -- After publishing photographs of UN - African Union envoy to Darfur Ibrahim Gambari with Omar al-Bashir, indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide and war crimes, Inner City Press three times this week asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman to state UN policy for dealing with ICC indictees, and if Gambari's actions complied with UN policy.

The UN has said it only deals with ICC indictees when "necessary," for example when Inner City Press asked the UN about having twice provided air transportation to Ahmed Harun, also indicted by the ICC for war crimes.

But was attending a reception for the wedding of the daughter of Darfur janjaweed militia leader Musa Hilal and Idriss Deby "necessary"?

After twice saying he hadn't seen the photos, on January 26 Nesirky said that "the ICC is an independent judicial institution. And it needs to be able to carry out its work in an independent fashion. And so I don’t think that it is appropriate to comment further on cases that are being looked at and in the judicial process already."

Inner City Press asked, "can you see why the Gambari photo creates some confusion? Attending a wedding ceremony is hard to describe as a humanitarian gesture."

Later, Nesirky's office sent Inner City Press the following:

Subject: Your question on JSR Gambari
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 1:02 PM
To: Matthew Russell Lee [at] innercitypress.com

The Departement for Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) advises the following: JSR Gambari attended the wedding at the invitation of President Deby of Chad, who is an important regional partner in the peace process. JSR Gambari had no control over the guest list and it is contrary to basic diplomatic courtesy and African traditions to ignore greeting other invited guests.

So apparently the UN system's policy on engagement with individuals indicted by the ICC for genocide has a "wedding reception" or even "African traditions" exception.

Gambari greets Bashir, UN policy on ICC not shown: non-existent?

It's worth noting, as the Sudanese Mission to the UN confirmed to Inner City Press apparently proudly, that Idriss Deby wasn't even AT the reception. But Gambari went anyway, and greeted Bashir.

The UN's policy on dealing with ICC indicted individuals is in the purview of Ban's head of Legal Affairs Patricia O'Brien, who has repeatedly refused to answer press questions. This is Ban's UN - watch this site.

UN Assisted Ouattara Forces in Cote d'Ivoire, No Answer on Migiro, Gambari

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 23 -- Over the weekend complaints from Abidjan in the Ivory Coast reached Inner City Press, that UN peacekeepers had stood by as a peaceful assembly of supporters of former president Laurent Gbagbo was attacked.

And so on Monday Inner City Press asked both Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky, and a representative of the Ivorian Mission to the UN, about the allegations. From the UN's noon briefing transcript:

Inner City Press: in Cote d'Ivoire, there was a rally of supporters of the former President or leader Laurent Gbagbo, and they are saying that they were rallying and that they were abused by police in full view of UN peacekeepers and that the peacekeepers did nothing... Has UNOCI [United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire] sent you any information on this incident and what is their mandate in terms of econciliation, this seemed to be a peacefully rally, at least according to those who participated in it?

Spokesperson: Well, I’d have to check on that, Matthew. I don’t have anything on that.

Four hours later the following was emailed to Inner City Press as it was inserted into the transcript:

[The Spokesperson later said that according to UNOCI, Formed Police Units assisted Ivorian police officers and gendarmes who have the primary responsibility for maintaining order. The Operation said it continues to work with the authorities to avoid similar incidents. Nesirky also noted that the Operation had issued a statement condemning Saturday’s incidents and calling on the Government to take the appropriate measures to determine their circumstances.]

Meanwhile in the UN's North Lawn building, Inner City Press asked a representative of the Ivorian Mission to the UN, who agreed that the UN should issue its own observations of events.

But here, as in South Sudan, the UN rather than objectively observing and reporting is instead "assist[ing] Ivorian police officers and gendarmes who have the primary responsibility for maintaining order."

When the UN is found to be standing by while civilians are attacked, whether in Southern Kordofan in Sudan, Pibor in South Sudan or now in Abidjan, the UN will and should always be questioned. Separately, where the UN applies a double standard to where it will report on facts, or issue estimates of casualties, the UN will and should always be questioned.

But this UN often doesn't want to answer questions. At the January 23 noon briefing, Inner City Press asked about two already public issues, and one pending, without any answer:

Inner City Press: it came out over the weekend that there was a wedding reception in Khartoum, the wedding of Idriss Deby to the daughter of Musa Hilal, who is one of the main leaders of the Janjaweed militia. And unless it is a fabrication, there are photographs, wire service of Ibrahim Gambari, UN-African Union envoy, greeting and smiling and laughing with Omar al-Bashir. So, I wanted to know, since he is indicted by the ICC [International Criminal Court], and the UN has said that they only deal with the ICC indictees on a necessary or as necessary basis, how is it necessary to attend this wedding ceremony and be, you know, be dealing in this way with Omer al-Bashir?

Spokesperson: I’ll have to check on that, I haven’t seen those pictures, Matthew. Yeah, other questions, please?

Gambari & Bashir: now Un see it?

Inner City Press: ...have you seen that there is a comment by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tanzania saying that Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro has confirmed that her time at the UN is done? Is that an accurate statement by him, and I mean, I guess I will put it that way?

Spokesperson: I haven’t seen that statement, Matthew.

Well, as media in Tanzania and elsewhere saw over the weekend, the link is here. Then:

Question: about Sri Lanka, and the commitment to do an inquiry into the UN’s own actions in Sri Lanka that was made by the Secretary-General in September. Has that been done, and what would you make of their criticism that the Secretary-General should do more, specifically on the issue of Sri Lanka?

Spokesperson: ...on Sri Lanka, this is for the member States of the Human Rights Council now to look at. It is has been passed to them, and it is for them to look at. That’s the second thing. What was the third part, Matthew?

Inner City Press: the inquiry, where he committed to do an inquiry…

Spokesperson: Yes, right, right, yes, yes, exactly, yes. Excuse me. The third part is to do with looking at how the United Nations system, the different parts of the UN family responded as a whole during that crisis, that is something that is still under way. There’s no conclusion to that yet. But it is under way.

Inner City Press: Who is doing it? I mean, just to… because you gave… the other time there was a follow-up on the cholera Haiti commission, is it possible to know who is in charge of it and -- ?

Spokesperson: I’ll let you know.

There was no information given, unlike on Cote d'Ivoire, when the UN finalized its transcript four hours later. Watch this site.

UN's Gambari Embraces ICC Indictee Bashir, As Ban Claims War Crimes Concern

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 20 -- Omar al Bashir, indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court, was pictured greeted UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari at a ceremony for the wedding of Janjaweed leader Musa Hilal's daughter to Chad's president Idriss Deby.

The UN under Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was repeatedly told Inner City Press that it only deals with ICC indictees as strictly necessary -- defending flying ICC indictee Ahmed Harun to and from Abyei, for example, on the grounds that it was a (failed) attempt to seek peace, as Inner City Press has reported.

But how can Gambari's greeting of Bashir at a wedding ceremony be deemed necessary?

Ironically, at the same time Ban's Spokesman Martin Nesirky was issuing a statement that Ban is deeply concerned about fighting on the Sudan and South Sudan border, for example in South Kordofan where UN peacekeepers from Egypt while civilians, including a UN contractors, were slaughtered right outside their base.

What can be the UN's defense of Gambari partying with Bashir? Or with Janjaweed leader Musa Hilal at Khartoum's Rotana hotel?