Thursday, May 23, 2013

On South Sudan's Oil Cut Off Charges, Sudan Shows ICP Denial, Rice Tells ICP It's Started Flowing Again; UN on Darfur: See No Evil


By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, May 23, updated twice -- Amid charges by South Sudan that Khartoum is responsible for a cut off in the flow of oil for export and sale, Sudan's Permanent Representative Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman arrived at the UN Security Council Thursday morning, some 20 minutes after US Ambassador Susan Rice.
Update: leaving the meeting, Ambassador Rice told Inner City Press it is the US' understanding the oil has started to flow again. She emphasized: started.
  Inner City Press asked him about the oil flow dispute. Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman opened a file folder and showed Inner City Press a series of formal documents.
  First was a letter from Sudan's Minister of Petroleum to his counterpart in Juba, saying that the claims of Sudanese governmental involvement in the cut off pumping and flow were false.
  Next was what Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman said was the signed agreement about responding to the "technical issues" which led to the cut off; he said that a consortium of oil companies, not the government, was responsible.
Update: after the meeting, Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman told Inner City Press that the technical issue was one of water: too much water in the oil, which could corrode the pipes.
  The Council's topic on Thursday morning was Sudan and South Sudan, as well as Abyei. On Wednesday, the UN sent Inner City Press a belated answer from Herve Ladsous' Department of Peacekeeping Operations to question asked by Inner City Press the previous week:
Subject: Regarding your question on Sudan
From: UN Spokesperson - Do Not Reply [at] un.org
Date: Wed, May 22, 2013 at 5:50 PM
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress.com
In response to your recent question on reports of the Chadian air force bombing positions inside Darfur and on whether Chadian troops have crossed into Sudan:
On 18 May, a patrol from the joint African Union-United Nations mission conducted an assessment mission to Bamina, North Darfur, where an attack on Justice and Equality Movement-Sudan members took place. No military or armed elements were observed in the area.

  So was JEM lying? Or was the UN late? Watch this site.