By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, July 6, updated -- After France's weapons drop into Libya triggered a closed door fight in the UN Security Council on July 5, now a meeting of the Libya sanctions committee has been scheduled for July 7.
Initially, Western ambassadors said the criticism of France's action by Russia, South Africa and others could wait until the Council's July 11 session on Libya. But now there's a sanctions meeting Thursday afternoon. “Yes, that's new,” a Western Deputy Permanent Representative confirmed to Inner City Press on Wednesday evening.
In the July 5 consultations, participants tell Inner City Press, the United States insisted that they had drafted the Libya resolutions to allow for such weapons drops. Calling this “sneaky drafting,” there is now resistance to even considering the Europeans' draft resolution on Syria. This one contains no tricks, its proponents seemed to argue. But disputes about Libya have stalled action on Syria.
This is a major dynamic for now in the Security Council, sometimes alternatively presented as “the BRICS flexing their muscles.”
A Western argument goes that it is unfair, most poignantly to the Syrian people, to sabotage all other Council issues because of disagreements about how Libya has turned out.
But others feel that the West, France in particular, sabotaged and poisoned the concept of protection of civilians going forward. Some liken France's “this is my interpretation” arrogance to what they also call the arrogance of George W. Bush's argument that invasion of Iraq did not require UN Council approval. Why didn't France come back to the Council and ask for a rule or interpretation?
There are also questions, in light of France's actions, about why it should be allow to replace outgoing Peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy with another Frenchman. (Click here for Inner City Press' exclusive July 5 story on candidate Bonnafont.) That too will be further discussed.
Footnote: Also on tap for July 7, Inner City Press is reliably told, is the transmission of the UN panel's flotilla report, or “Flotilla I” report. Sources within the process confirmed to Inner City Press on Wednesday night that's the plan, even with Ban Ki-moon “once again” out of town. Watch this site.
