By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 10 -- On West Africa, UN envoy Said Djinnit gave a surprisingly upbeat (some said, self-serving) briefing to the Security Council on Wednesday morning. The UN said, by e-mail then at the noon briefing, that Djinnit would take press questions at 12:30.
The noon briefing ended at 12:22, and Inner City Press and two other members of the Free UN Coalition for Access went immediately to the Council stakeout, ready to question Djinnit. But even after Council members streamed out of the chamber, he did not appear.
Trying to ensure that questions could be asked,@FUNCA_info asked both the UN Spokesperson's office and the Department of Political Affairs, which oversees Djinnit's Dakar-based operation, where Djinnit might be. Neither answered, but another staff member told Inner City Press Djinnit claimed he had come to the stakeout, “you guys weren't there,” so he left.
If he went, it was before 12:30. Click here to view the day's noon briefing (the announcement that Djinnit would appear at approximately 12:30 is at Minute 2:40), and note that it began at noon and was 22 minutes long. The new Press Briefing Room is right next to the Security Council and stakeout: no eight minutes there.
One wag mused, given Djinnit's excuse, what should we think of his report and statement to the Council?
Djinnit found a way to brag about now only Guinea but Guinea Bissau. The real question is, with three UN envoys in the mix - Djinnit, Bert Koenders of MINUSMA andRomano Prodi of, well, Bologna -- how could it be that it was Blaise Campaore of Burkina Faso who mediated and made the deal about Kidal?
And -- this is a question -- has that deal now been broken? MINUSMA engaged with attacker outside Kidal. Is MINUSMA covered by the International Criminal Court? Click here for that. These are questions Djinnit should have taken and answered, and should still answer. Watch this site.
