By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, June 24, updated -- In the face of stated urgency in Abyei, those raising questions in the UN Security Council go beyond the UK and French concerns reported this morning by Inner City Press, to wider concerns about “precedent” raised by Germany, which will take Council presidency in July.
Two Permanent Five members of the Council, from East and West, both expressed bafflement to Inner City Press about Germany's position. The wonder from the East was that Germany would want to add mandates to the Ethiopian force beyond those agreed by Khartoum and Juba.
From the West, the Germany use of the word “precedent” was not understood. Perhaps, it was surmised, the problem is the idea of a UN mandated peacekeeping force without a human rights monitoring component -- like has been allowed for MINURSO in Western Sahara. That, was a precedent.
But the concerns, contrary the caricature presented from East and West, are for a UN peacekeeping force made of of only one country, a relatively neighboring one at that.
The Eastern position would be to view this like a multi-national force, as if paid for by the Ethiopians. But the UN will pay.
Some say Khartoum's real position is they'd like an IGAD force, paid by the UN. But if the German's and others push to put in mandates that Khartoum (and Juba) never agreed to, could the deal fall apart? Watch this site.
