By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, September 20 -- Usually those who have led coups don't speak, at least at first, in the UN General Assembly. With that background, Inner City Press on September 19 asked Nihal Saad, the spokesperson for the new President of the General Assembly, to confirm that coup leader Andry Rajoelina would not be speaking for Madagascar in the General Debate starting September 21.
Later on September 20 to her credit, Ms. Saad sent this reply:
"Regarding your question on Madagascar: The SADC roadmap has been accepted on Saturday. According to the roadmap, Andry Rajoelina will lead the transition. Hence, President Rajoelina will speak at the General Debate."
The background here is that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon dined next to Rajoelina at a meeting in Istanbul, but his spokesman Martin Nesirky later denied that they had met. Next, Rajoelina's prime minister came to New York, and met with Ban's political chief Lynn Pascoe.
When asked by Inner City Press, Pascoe hearkened back to the work of his envoy Mr. Drame -- who appears in a Wikileaked cable as supporting Rajoelina's "extra Constitutional" move. So now this UN takes in coup leaders. What's next?
