As EU Lets Syria Arms Embargo Expire, UN Silent Despite Austria's Threat to Pull Peacekeepers from Golan, Ladsous & Trolls

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 27 -- Before European Union foreign ministers met on May 27 and did not extend the EU arms embargo on Syria, Austrian officials repeatedly said if the embargo was lifted they would pull their over 300 troops out of the UN mission in the Golan.

  So what was the UN Secretariat's position, both as the (recently mis) manager of the UNDOF observer mission and as an organization ostensibly against arming and the arms trade?

  Typical of its increasing invisibility or cautious opportunism, the UN was nowhere to be seen on this. Not the head of UN Peacekeeping Herve Ladsous, whose interest should be the peacekeepers in the UNDOF mission but who has allowed them to be repeatedly kidnapped without even properly announcing it.

   Ladsous confined the most recent kidnapping to a "conversation" with friendly scribes. And where was Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on this?

On May 23, Inner City Press asked Ban's deputy spokesperson Eduardo Del Buey:

Inner City Press: About the Golan and UNDOF [United Nations Disengagement Observer Force]. There has been renewed statements by Austria that they would… would withdraw their 300-some peacekeepers if an arms embargo is modified to Syria and the rebels, and I wonder, does the UN, given its need for peacekeepers, does it have any view on that?

Deputy Spokesperson Del Buey: Well, number one, we have no information from the Austrians at all on any decision they may or may not have taken, so we are not going to comment any further on that.

  The Austrians' position had been publicly stated, and Ladsous as head of UN peacekeeping, the fourth Frenchman in a row to hold the post, is supposed to be in touch with the troop contributing countries. So how can it be, "no information from the Austrians at all"?

  And so on May 24, Inner City Press asked the UN's Del Buey:

Inner City Press: Austria, now not just the Defense Minister, now the Foreign Minister has said today that if the EU Foreign Ministers who meet on Monday in Brussels remove the arms embargo on Syria, there are 'serious problems with Austria remaining in the Golan Heights and UNDOF.' So, again, are you saying you haven’t gotten any letter from them? Since the UN is running the peacekeeping mission of UNDOF, is there anyone in the UN system that is trying to make any UN view known to the EU foreign ministers who will vote on this?

Deputy Spokesperson Del Buey: Matthew, we are constantly monitoring the situation in all of our missions around the world, but we do not address speculation; it is [speculative]. We are not going to speculate on what the Austrians may or may not do. To the moment, we have not received any indication from the Austrians; we have not received any communication from them on this, and that is where we stand.

  So the UN said nothing, and now the meeting has ended and the arms embargo was not extended. It will expire on June 1. If the Austrians leave, should the UN have spoken? 

Was the UN Secretariat of Ban Ki-moon reluctant to anger France and the UK, who wanted the embargo off? Did Ladsous despite his ostensible duties to UNDOF stay silent to serve the position of France, which he served for years and years? Watch this site.

Footnotes: Meanwhile as a sample of the UN coverage of the UN Correspondents Association "leadership," UNCA president Pamela Falk of CBSNews sent suck up tweets to the French and UK Missions to the UN calling the (non) decision in Brussels a victory for them.

  Earlier in the Memorial Day weekend she sent even more newsless tweets to the UK Mission, paparazzi photos of its Ambassador and that of the UAE, which owns Manchester City football club. (No questions about the UAE's record on gay rights, despite Robbie Rogers suggesting just that question in the New York Times.)

  Meanwhile UNCA trolls on whom Falk at a minimum has refused to act (audio here and here) sent bogus social media messages to the UK Mission in Geneva questioning how the investigative Press is funded. (They have tried to say dictators and terrorists, leading to death threats.) 

Answer: Not by high frequency stock traders a la Reutersand Bloomberg, nor 41% by the French government like AFP. But what have these wire services' UN bureaux and UNCA under Falk come to? Watch this site.

At UN, Small Arms Consensus Reached, Occupation In, Arms Embargoes Out

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 7 -- For two weeks, some delegates in the Small Arms meeting in UN Conference Room 1 lounged around waiting, as political issues about this "politically binding" (but not legally binding) program of action got thrashed out in smaller rooms one floor above.

  On the morning of Friday, the review conference's last day, Inner City Press was told that the issue of how to refer to Security Council arms embargoes, objected to by Iran and North Korea, had been finessed.

  The draft A/CONF.192/2012/RC/CRP.2 had member states undertaking "to take appropriate measures against any activity that violates a UN Security Council arms embargo."

  This explicit reference was dropped; proponents were able to say it was indirectly kept in by reference. Kept in was a reference to "occupation," leading both Israel and the US to disassociate themselves in final statements Friday at 6 pm.

  Still, even these two offered their thanks and congratulations to Program of Action review conference chair Joy Ogwu of Nigeria. One delegation said that women should chair all such review conferences. Liberia bragged about its two recent Nobel Peace prize winners. Sudan praised the outcome.

  There remained other issues that some countries bemoaned not being in, ranging from ammunition, border controls and MAN-PADS to "gender perspectives" and children and armed conflict. 

  Regardless, a deal was made. It was like the Arms Trade Treaty (which failed) except that the stakes were lower. And so consensus was reached, the two weeks of loitering and spending were justified, and the UN reloaded.

   Palestine, which as first reported by Inner City Press was blocked from full participation by a ruling by Ban Ki-moon's top lawyer Patricia O'Brien, says there are no more such conferences this year, except perhaps a reconvening of the Law of the Sea Treaty, to elect another representative from the Eastern Europe group. They are ready. Watch this site.

At UN on Libya, Proposed Arms Embargo Exceptions for TNC & UN

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 12 -- With the UK drafted resolution on Libya expected to be circulated to Security Council members today, German Permanent Representative Peter Wittig told the Press that he doesn't "expect any acrimonious philosophical debate," and predicts adoption this week.

But when Inner City Press asked two other well placed Council sources, the answer was "not so fast." One source, from among the IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa) grouping, told Inner City Press that the proposed modification of asset freeze and particularly the arms embargo could give rise to some debate.

A European diplomat who is a proponent of the draft countered to Inner City Press that it would not life the arms embargo but open "exceptions" to it.

Another Council diplomat, from a country which has recognized the Transitional National Council, told Inner City Press that the proposed exceptions to the arms embargo are for the TNC, and separately to take in weapons to protect the UN.

Some wonder: is it that the TNC does not have enough weapons? But the diplomat from the country recognizing the TNC predicted that any questions or opposition will disappear, indicating that they have to see which way the wind is blowing. Watch this site.

Footnote: a well placed Permanent Representative told Inner City Press the Credentials Committee is supposed to formally switch to the TNC this week.