Pakistan's Haroon Returns to UN, Counters "Back Slapping," Not Replaced

By Matthew Russell Lee

 

UNITED NATIONS, September 20 -- Amid reports that Pakistan's lead Ambassador at the UN Abdullah Hussain Haroon had resigned, Inner City Press back in July asked the Pakistani mission if it could confirm or deny.

  "Cannot confirm," came the answer. But Haroon was not seen at the UN. Diplomats told Inner City Press with a know-it-all air of certainty that Pakistan's Ambassador to China had been named to replace Haroon.

  And then on Thursday Haroon re-appeared. At the Security Council stakeout he greeted Inner City Press, wearing a broad hat and holding a white cane. His spokesman was next to him grinning.

  Once inside the Security Council, Haroon delivered a speech on Afghanistan that was notably different than those of other Council members.

  He read from newspapers and from UN reports; he named a guardian angel program in which unidentified "angels" are authorized to shoot anyone threatening Coalition forces. (Another Ambassador, requesting and granted anonymity, opined that Haroon would read out a telephone directory and make it as interesting as on Speakers Corner in Hyde Park. Another called him the most learned diplomat on the Council.)

   Afterward Inner City Press asked Haroon not only about Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan, but also about the rumors of him leaving. He said that he prepared his speech to counteract Council "backslapping," and added,"Well, I'm back temporarily."

  But to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of his replacement were greatly exaggerated. Watch this site.

Mbeki Goes Holistic With UN Council, Tells ICP South Sudan Has One Story on Oil, Khartoum Another

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, February 27 -- After meeting with the UN Security Council for more than three hours on Monday, Thabo Mbeki stopped and spoke with Inner City Press. "It's an interactive session," he said, "first time since we've been coming here. You don't read your written speech, you discuss it. The idea is a holistic and integrated understanding of the Sudan issues."

He might have said Sudans, plural, as the Permanent Representatives of South Sudan as well as the North waited outside during the meeting. The format was called "private interactive dialogue," so neither could attend.

Mbeki cautioned against "responding to Darfur on its own, respond to Abyei on its own, respond to South Sudan," saying that the international community and Security Council should "look at the totality."

Inner City Press asked Mbeki, on camera, about South Sudan stopping pumping oil because they can't be assured, the North Sudan will pay what it should.

Mbeki said, "They will say that, the North will say something else." Video here

During the closed door meeting, which included US Envoy to Sudan Princeton Lyman and his UK courterpart, Inner City Press spoke with South Sudan's Permanent Representative David Choat, whose counter question was what is it that Mbeki doesn't understand about Juba's decisions?

The decision to stop pumping oil was criticized by the UN's Valerie Amos. But Choat asked Inner City Press, is the money supposed to be only for refugees? What about South Sudan's citizens?

Sudan's Permanent Representative, on the other hand, pitched late arriving and early leaving media about South Sudan "confiscating" barges. South Sudan says it's Khartoum that wouldn't let them head South on the White Nile. Meanwhile it's understood that Sudan would prefer to deal one on one with South Sudan, while Juba likes or feels it need the UN.

Inner City Press asked Mbeki if he and the Panel wanted a statement. "They've agreed they will do some statement," Mbeki replied.

UK Permanent Representative told Inner City Press his country had proposed a Council statement supporting the Panel, and various Permanent Representatives told Inner City Press they supported the concept but would have to see a draft.

Pakistan's Permanent Representative Abdullah Hussain Haroon told Inner City Press, "this panel has done a fabulous job." He noted that Mbeki "footsteps of Nelson Mandela... All three of them, people of impeccable." He compared the panel favorably to that of the Arab League on Syria.

An unresolved note: more than one participants told Inner City Press that Mbeki warned against pushes for regime change in the North. But no one would confirm this on camera.

Summaries included that the goal is "two viable countries," that the problems of South Sudan involve converting a national liberation movement into a government and dealing with problems like in Jonglei, where the UN responded slowly, having remained without military helicopters. North Sudan, he said, has issues with "democratization" and representation of different regions.

The Security Council's president for February, Togo's Kodjo Menan, told Inner City Press, "the only thing I want to have both parties work together, apply the agreement they have already signed." And so it goes at the UN.

Removing Silva as UN Adviser Addressed Feb 17, Pakistan PR Tells ICP; No Thanks to Ban Ki-moon

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, February 16 -- For three weeks Inner City Press has asked the UN how it could accept as a UN "Senior Adviser on Peacekeeping Operations" of General Shavendra Silva, whose Division 58 is repeatedly named in connection with war crimes in Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Panel of Experts report.

Ban's lead spokesman Martin Nesirky has said Ban can do nothing, and that Inner City Press should "ask the Asia group."

On February 13, Bangladesh's Permanent Representative Abulkalam Abdul Momen exclusively told Inner City Press that "we were surprised they sent a controversial participant... it's not fair."

Adding that Silva "individually is not acceptable," Abulkalam Abdul Momen told Inner City Press, "I, India and Pakistan, we have requested Sri Lanka to fix it up."

On February 14, Inner City Press asked Ban's deputy spokesman Eduardo Del Buey about this, and was again told that Ban can do and has done nothing on this.

Outside the UN General Assembly meeting about Syria on February 15, the statement of Bangladesh's Momen was multiply confirmed to Inner City Press. Pakistan's Permanent Representative Abdullah Hussain Haroon told Inner City Press, "certainly we would like to see something beneficial happen, I think we are addressing the problem tomorrow."

This appears to be a meeting smaller than the Asia group as a whole, as another Asia group member told Inner City Press that "it should be Sri Lanka that fixes it, then the group will affirm it."

(Inside the GA, Haroon delivered one of the more nuanced speeches, that while some of Russia's amendments should have been accepted, Pakistan voted yes. Sri Lanka abstained.)

Prior to this development, the Sri Lankan Mission's action was to sent a letter of complaint to Inner City Press, sending a copy to Ban's spokesman as well as to some in the UN press corps.

Inner City Press in less than 24 hours published and responded to the letter, citing only some of the many references to Silva's Division 58 in the report.

Then, after UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told Inner City Press on February 13 she had expressed her "concern" about Silva to Ban, the Sri Lankan mission issued a statement -- not to Inner City Press -- calling the concerns "unethical," and got it reported.

Earlier on February 16, Inner City Press observed Silva on the UN North Lawn Building's second floor, and asked him what he was doing there. He said he had a meeting. Accompanied by what could only be a bodyguard -- the individual stood back, looking in all directions -- Silva met with a slight man, on chairs by the men's room on the North Lawn's second floor.

It is hard to identify any other Deputy Permanent Representative in the UN system who has a bodyguard. Will Silva even remain as Deputy Permanent Representative? We'll see.

Ban shakes with Silva, Kohona back to camera (c) MRLee

Footnote: a problem is that the "fix" offered by Sri Lanka to certain member states, according to these states, is to switch Silva for Permanent Representative Palitha Kohona, who is ALSO named in Ban's Panel of Experts report in connection with the so-called White Flag killings of people seeking to surrender. Watch this site.

From the UN's February 15 noon briefing transcript:

Inner City Press: A week ago, sitting where you are, Mr. [Hervé] Ladsous had said that on the appointment of this Shavendra Silva, the Sri Lankan general to be a senior adviser on peacekeeping, there was going to be further consideration. Martin said he’d ask him to see what he meant; he also told me to ask the Asian group, which I have, and the Bangladesh Permanent Representative has said that he and two other TCCs [troop-contributing countries] from Asia have told Sri Lanka to, quote “fix it”; that Mr. Silva is not acceptable. So, I wanted to know, is this what Mr. Ladsous was referring to and is the Secretariat playing no role whatsoever in seeking to fix having an alleged war criminal provide advice to Ban Ki-moon on peacekeeping?

Deputy Spokesperson: Well, I think Mr. Ladsous, and Martin and the Secretary-General have been very clear on this, it was a Member State decision. If Member States are taking actions, it is up to them to take whatever actions they see fit. But we are not going to comment on that because it is a Member State decision.

Question: So, just to be clear, if this does get fixed, the Secretary-General played no role whatsoever in blocking an alleged war criminal from advising him despite the advice of his own Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay, just to quote you?

Deputy Spokesperson: Matthew, our position has been made very clear this is a Member State decision; it is for the Member States to decide.

At UN, Morocco Says Mauritania Broke Rotation, Haroon Takes Puri's Call

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, October 21 -- Morocco won a UN Security Council seat in the first round of voting, along with less surprisingly Pakistan and unopposed Guatemala, which got 191 votes and two anonymous abstentions.

Afterward Inner City Press asked Morocco's Foreign Minister to confirm what his delegation said, that Mauritania had agreed not to run for the North African seat until others in the sub-group had. Yes, the Foreign Minister replied, but the "principle of rotation" prevailed.

Inner City Press asked how Morocco intended to impact the Western Sahara issue on the Council and also Palestine. He replied that Morocco was only the Council 20 years ago, with "Moroccan Sahara" on the agenda. He did not answer on Palestine, but walked away from the stakeout microphone.

Minutes before on that same microphone Inner City Press asked Pakistan's Permanent Representative Haroon if being on the Council will make the Kashmir issue more prominent on the Council's agenda. He replied that Kashmir is already on the agenda, and that he gets along well with India's Ambassador, Hardeep Singh Puri.

Then Haroon answered his cell phone, saying on camera that it was "Ambassador Puri" congratulating him. While seeming to many to be staged, it was good theater, perhaps a harbinger of things to come.

Haroon tells Indian call, good times ahead (C) MRLee

Inner City Press had asked the Office of the Spokesperson for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to briefly postpone its noon briefing during these two stakeouts. At 12:11 Inner City Press ran to the briefing room, only to find Spokesman Martin Nesirky packing up his files, ending the briefing. So it goes at Ban's UN.

Back at the General Assembly stakeout, Inner City Press asked Guatemala's foreign minister for his country's position on Palestine UN membership, on which Guatemala took a reservation from the Group of 77's position.

He said the country favors a two state solution, is in elections and will have a position before joining the Council, which takes place January 1.

Inner City Press asked twice about the two absentions. He said Guatemala doesn't know who cast them - averigua la, check it out.

There are second rounds on Togo versus Mauritania, and in the Eastern European Group. Watch this site.