By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 18 -- In the wake of Panama's ship-stopping, the UN on Thursday morning was full of questions about the next steps. Luxembourg is the chair of the Democratic Republic of Korea sanctions committee; there was dark talk of the Grand Duchess Maria Teresa being born in and traveling to Havana.
But Luxembourg's Permanent Representative to the UN Sylvie Lucas, gracious as ever in stopping to explain, told Inner City Press that the Panel of Experts does not need approval from the Sanctions Committee to go and investigate.
After UK Permanent Representative Mark Lyall Grant tweeted that “thanks to good work by Panama, UN sanctions ctte will examine what looks like illegal Cuban arms shipment to DPRK,” US Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, in a rare question and answer stakeout, answered that a team should be on its way “very soon.”
The team, though, will be from the Panel of Experts. Committee chair Lucas told the Press that there is no Committee session yet scheduled until they know more.
Inner City Press asked DeLaurentis about Sudanese Permanent Representative Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman having met with the US Presidency of the Security Council on July 16. DeLaurentis confirmed the meeting, and said it mostly reiterated the points in Sudan's letter of July 15.
Allowed a follow-up, and grateful for it, Inner City Press asked what the next steps in the investigation of the killing of seven peacekeepers in Darfur would be, given that Tanzania has said it is sending a team. DeLaurentis said that was right, but that he did not yet know the next steps. Watch this site.
