By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, January 14 -- After French Ambassador Gerard Araud addressed the UN Security Council Monday about his country's military intervention in Mali, Inner City Press asked him two questions, about the legality and whether coup leader Amadou Sanogo is involved.
While Ambassador Bamba of Cote d'Ivoire, which is now heading ECOWAS, told Inner City Press that France was acting under Security Council Resolution 2085, it seems the French realized that argument would not work.
But Inner City Press asked Araud, when will the military action shift back to Resolution 2085, and how will we know? Will it be announced? Video here, from Minute 11:50.
Araud said the issue had come up in the closed door consultations, whether "we need a formal transition," and he even cited the provision of the resolution Inner City Press has been asking and writing about for days.
Araud said, "we are in the context of resolution 2085. Secondly, we want to implant it as soon as possible. So there will be the question of determining if we need a formal transition or not. As it is in resolution 2085, there were questions before, there are the benchmarks, the OP11 “expressions of the satisfaction of the Security Council”… So there is a process and we will follow the process. But we are in the very first steps. First we need to have the African contingents in Bamako. They have not arrived yet."
Araud's partial quotation was to the requirement, in Operative Paragraph 11, that Ban Ki-moon as Secretary-General "confirm in advance the Council's satisfaction with the planned military offensive operation."
Inner City Press on January 12 and January14 asked Ban's spokespeople if and when he had issued the required "confirmation." The question has not been answered.
And so instead, France is stressing that it was requested to act by the Malian authorities.
But do these authorities include those involved in the coup d'etat in 2012?
Inner City Press asked Araud if coup leader Amadou Sanogo is involved. Araud replied, "Captain Sanogo has an official role in the Malian army so I guess he is involved but I do not have precise information about it."
So this is the Malian force France is supporting?
When Inner City Press at Friday's noon briefing asked Ban's deputy spokesperson Eduardo Del Buey when and if Ban had "confirmed in advance the satisfaction of the Council" with France's military action, Del Buey had no answer.
Instead, Del Buey referred to the 3 pm Monday Security Council consultation with the head of Ban's Department of Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman -- which couldn't cure the "confirm in advance" requirement -- and to Ban's telephone calls with French foreign minister Fabius and Cote d'Ivoire president Ouattara.
A spokesperson as Monday's meeting began indicated with Feltman would not take press questions afterward. True to form, when Feltman left he said, "Someone's coming." That someone was Araud.
Endnote: What no one directly asked Araud was, "How is this different than George W. Bush and Iraq"? Why couldn't Bush just cite Article 51, claiming self-defense? If the claim here is that the Malian authorities invited France, it is important to note the involvement of those involved in the 2012 coup. What precedent is being set here? Watch this site.
From the French Mission's transcription:
Inner City Press: Just now Ambassador Bamba of Côte d’Ivoire seems to think that you are operating under resolution 2085, how will we know when you are? It says that the Secretary-General was supposed to confirm in advance with the satisfaction of the Council, will you tell us when you are? And also is Captain Sanogo in any way involved in the Malian military defence of Bamako, and what do you think of that?
PR Araud: Captain Sanogo has an official role in the Malian army so I guess he is involved but I do not have precise information about it.
There is a real question raised by one of the members about how we are going to shift from what is a French emergency operation to the implementation of resolution 2085. First, we are in the context of resolution 2085. Secondly, we want to implant it as soon as possible. So there will be the question of determining if we need a formal transition or not. As it is in resolution 2085, there were questions before, there are the benchmarks, the OP11 “expressions of the satisfaction of the Security Council”… So there is a process and we will follow the process. But we are in the very first steps. First we need to have the African contingents in Bamako. They have not arrived yet.
PR Araud: Captain Sanogo has an official role in the Malian army so I guess he is involved but I do not have precise information about it.
There is a real question raised by one of the members about how we are going to shift from what is a French emergency operation to the implementation of resolution 2085. First, we are in the context of resolution 2085. Secondly, we want to implant it as soon as possible. So there will be the question of determining if we need a formal transition or not. As it is in resolution 2085, there were questions before, there are the benchmarks, the OP11 “expressions of the satisfaction of the Security Council”… So there is a process and we will follow the process. But we are in the very first steps. First we need to have the African contingents in Bamako. They have not arrived yet.
