By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, May 16 -- As the UN Security Council prepares to travel to Sudan, albeit not to Darfur, the question arose Monday of who will replace Haile Menkerios atop the UN Mission in Sudan.
Sources tell Inner City Press that at least two current UN officials wants the post: Hilde Johnson of UNICEF, and Ian Martin of the Department of Political Affairs, only recently tapped for post-transition (or post-Gaddafi) Libya.
The question arose at a reception at the Russian Mission to the UN, a farewell to Vladimir K. Safronkov, Russia's political coordinator. It was a good turn out, including among other DPA chief Lynn Pascoe, UK Permanent Representative Mark Lyall Grant and US Deputy Permanent Representative Rosemary DiCarlo.
The ceremonial highlight of the evening was the passing of the torch, or the “cup of dean of P-5 political coordinators,” to David Quarrey of the UK. He joked that he will only hold it for six week, then pass it on to France. From there it will go to China.
At the back, political coordinators from non Permanent Security Council members groused about not being in line for the cup, about Sudan, Libya and Cote d'Ivoire.
One asked Inner City Press, what's up with Alain Le Roy? Well placed UN sources tell Inner City Press he will be replaced, by another Frenchman, who's already been selected. The question, then, is Pascoe, or maybe Angela Kane.
Vladimir, who is returning to Moscow to work on multilateral diplomacy and international organizations, has been well-liked in the UN. Inner City Press can speak highly of him as far away as a tarmac in Goma in the Congo, calming other ambassadors down after their plane was shot, from the inside.
As of Monday evening, the logistics of the Council's upcoming trip were still not set. Le Roy's Department of Peacekeeping Operations is to briefing them on Tuesday afternoon; for now they will land at Kadugli on their way to Abyei. Ahmed Haroun, the ICC indictee who Menkerios has insisted on flying, will not meet with them. And so it goes at the UN. Watch this site.
