As UNSC Adopts Statement, Religion Added at Demand of Pakistan

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive Follow Up

UNITED NATIONS, September 26 -- When Germany circulated a draft Presidential Statement for its September 26 UN Security Council meeting about the Middle East, the fight was thought to be about whether and how to include Palestine in the statement.

  The first draft, which Inner City Press put online, mention Syria but not Palestine. A second draft had language about the Arab Israel issue and the Arab Peace Initiative. Inner City Press asked German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle and Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby about this and even on Wednesday morning, neither could say it would be adopted.

 After it was, Security Council sources told Inner City Press that the fight had been about, not surprisingly, denigration of religion. The second draft, with language about the attacks on diplomatic personnel, spoke only about tolerance for cultures.

 But, the sources told Inner City Press, Pakistan wanted a direct reference to religion. The language adopted is as follows:

"The Security Council recalls its press statements of 12 and 14 September regarding recent attacks on diplomatic personnel and premises and reaffirms that such acts are unjustifiable regardless of their motivations, whenever and by whomsoever committed. The Security Council stresses the importance of respect and understanding for persons of all religions and beliefs and for cultural diversity throughout the world."

  Earlier, there was outrage among some in the Security Council at what they said was French Ambassador Gerard Araud's statement, in closed door consultations negotiating the post-Benghazi attack Council Press Statement, that he is proud to be from a country where he can denigrate religion. Inner City Press exclusively reported it, here andhere.

Now as predicted begins the fight back, statement by statement. Watch this site.

France's Cynical Range from Hollande at Louvre to Araud in Council

By Matthew Russell Lee

 

UNITED NATIONS, September 18 -- The range of French governmental spin about xenophobia and Islam has been displayed in the last week.

  Today in Paris president Francois Hollande pledged love to Islamic art, at an opening at the Louvre.
  
  Later, one step down, foreign minister Laurent Fabius condemned the publication Charlie Hebdo, but noted that there are in France legal protections from freedom of the press.
  
  But at the UN last week, French ambassador Gerard Araud let it all hang out, multiple Security Council sources have told Inner City Press.

  During a closed-door discussion last week of a draft press statement on the killing of US diplomats in Benghazi against a backdrop of protests of an anti-Islam film, Araud said, as paraphrased to Inner City Press by four Council diplomats, that he likes and takes pride in the freedom to denigrate religion.

  One Security Council member told Inner City Press this was "outrageous" and "incitement."

  Another told Inner City Press, but then France should at least be consistent in being for free speech, because there are some kinds of speech they do not allow.

  A third questioned how much this reflects the position of France under Francois Hollande, as opposed to Nicolas Sarkozy, and how much it is "Araud, pure Araud."

  It has since been said to Inner City Press, "Araud is from the Sarkozy era, that's why he said August was his last Council presidency."  We'll see.

  We noted that France has positioned itself with the opposition in Libya, particularly in Benghazi then air dropping weapons into the Nafusa mountains, and now in Syria, where even the founder of MSF from Paris has said half of the fighters he treated in Aleppo were, to put it diplomatically, armed opponents of such films.

  Is French policy in this regard schizophrenic? Or is it simply cynical?

  In any event, Araud's statement left a mixture of surprise and anger that was not difficult to suss out even days after that closed-door meeting. So, a late exiting Council member asked, why wasn't it reported elsewhere? Watch this site.

France's Araud Likes Freedom to Denigrate Religion, Diplomats Quote Him

By Matthew Russell Lee

 

UNITED NATIONS, September 14 -- In the UN Security Council, statement are adopted by consensus, but some of what is said long rankles other diplomats. So it is with French Permanent Representative Gerard Araud.

  During a closed-door discussion this week of a draft press statement on the killing of US diplomats in Benghazi against a backdrop of protests of an anti-Islam film, Araud said, as paraphrased to Inner City Press by four Council diplomats, that he likes and takes pride in the freedom to denigrate religion.

  One Security Council member told Inner City Press this was "outrageous" and "incitement."

  Another told Inner City Press, but then France should at least be consistent in being for free speech, because there are some kinds of speech they do not allow.

  A third questioned how much this reflects the position of France under Francois Hollande, as opposed to Nicolas Sarkozy, and how much it is "Araud, pure Araud."

  We note that France has positioned itself with the opposition in Libya, particularly in Benghazi then air dropping weapons into the Nafusa mountains, and now in Syria, where even the founder of MSF from Paris has said half of the fighters he treated in Aleppo were, to put it diplomatically, armed opponents of such films.

  Is French policy in this regard schizophrenic? Or is it simply cynical?

  In any event, Araud's statement left a mixture of surprise and anger that was not difficult to suss out even days after that closed-door meeting. So, a late exiting Council member asked, why wasn't it reported elsewhere? Watch this site.

After Benghazi Killings, US Proposed Criticizing Denigration of Religion, France Said No: Likes Denigrating

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

 

UNITED NATIONS, September 14, updated below -- Two days after the UN Security Council issued a press statement on the "Attacks against U.S. Diplomatic Personnel" in Libya, Inner City Press has learned of a telling back-and-forth in the Council prior to adoption of the statement.

   The US Mission to the UN proposed the initial draft, which included a phrase against the denigration of religion, Inner City Press has exclusively been informed, then France opposed inclusion of that phrase, arguing among other things that the French constitution is secular.

  While this action too will have its reaction -- three Council members paraphrased French Permanent Representative Gerard Araud that he likes and takes pride in the freedom to denigrate religion, and two called this outrageous -- the Council Press Statement was issued on September 12 without anything on denigration of religion.

   It is newsworthy, Council members emphasize to Inner City Press, both that this US Mission to the UN proposed the phrase criticizing denigration of religion, and that France -- where the Sarkozy-era spats about religious jewelry and even halal butchers are apparently not over -- opposed it.

   "There are other statements coming," a Security Council member told Inner City Press at 4 pm on Friday. Watch this site.

Update of 7 pm -- Council members tell Inner City Press there IS another press statement under the silence procedure.  Meanwhile the US had Vice President Biden call Sudanese Vice President Taha. President Omar al-Bashir, of course, has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide. But that didn't stop Ban Ki-moon from greeting, if not meeting, Bashir. Priorities...