By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, February 1 -- One month after Rwanda joined the UN Security Council, on Friday afternoon it attended a meeting of the Council's Sanctions Committee on the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This Committee had adopted some new sanctions on New Years Eve, just before Rwanda joined on January 1.
On Friday, February 1, things were different, Inner City Press is exclusively informed. The other 14 members were told by Rwanda that while it is keen to collaborate with the new Group of Experts, it doubts their will to change mindsets, given past experience.
The reference was for example to Steve Hege, the expert who took off the Internet his writings about the FDLR militia once they were identified and linked to by Inner City Press.
The news of February 1 is that Rwanda told the Committee that neither Bernard Leloup nor Marie Plamadiala, as members of the Group of Experts charged with visiting not only DRC about also its neighbors, will be welcomed in Rwanda, whatever the consequences. Rwanda had informed the UN Secretariat before their appointment and now feels it needs to be respected.
Inner City Press has inquired into Rwanda's objection to Leloup. For a random search, click here.
As one example: http://rwanda-rugari.
As with Hege, it would seem that in the wide world of academic experts, one could be found without a paper trail of such strong opinions, which undermine at least the perception of objectivity.
Why does the UN keep doing this? Watch this site.