American Month Ends with John Kerry - & Hate Speech? - in UN Security Council, Humility on Syria, Samantha Power in the Wings

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 29 -- As the United States' month as President of the UN Security Council comes to a close, it's time to review it as best as we can. Secretary of State John Kerry came once, on a July 25 day trip, to chair the meeting on Africa's Great Lakes region.

  While there, the Democratic Republic of the Congo's foreign minister said that all rebellions in the region bear the same "genetic signature." 

  After diplomats from a number of member states complained this was hate speech, even "genocide talk," Inner City Press asked the US Mission to the UN if it had a comment. Apparently it had none, as least as of yet.

  And outside the US Mission on July 25, after a two hour wait for a 45 second photo op of Kerry and Syria oppositionist al Jarba, Kerry told Inner City Press he hadn't heard the comment. Fine - but it was in the DRC's written speech, and is on UN Webcast.  UN video here at 1:06:20 

 (The US Mission did, we note, provide a response from Kurtis Cooper about cholera in Haiti at the beginning of the month, and from Payton Knopf about the rapes in Minova in November by the Congolese Army near the end of the month, here.)

  Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo handled the presidency ably, held a number of stakeouts; Jeffrey DeLaurentis held one, and answered questions on Darfur. But what's been done on the seven peacekeepers killed there?

  Syria was and is the "big one." Interesting, at the General Assembly session on July 29, the US was humble. While the UK's Mark Lyall Grant and even France's fill-in for Gerard Araud went to the front and inveigh, Ambassador DiCarlo spoke from her seat, later in the meeting. Will this be Samantha Power's approach when, as seems sure to happen, she arrives?

  Among diplomats asked Monday by Inner City Press about Samantha Power, a number noted things she'd said at her confirmation hearing. That the US has nothing to apologize for about the Rwanda genocide struck some more than others as a false note, inconsistent with her book "A Problem from Hell." But what will she do, once at the UN? Watch this site.

Footnote: there are three mandate renewals to be "done" on July 30. Of them, Inner City Press is told that the Cote d'Ivoire renewal might, just might, have "explanations of vote," on the draw-down of peacekeepers and on "ICC issues." Others say it will just fly through without a single explanation. We'll see.

   

After 19 in US Congress Write to Ban Ki-moon on Haiti Cholera, US Tells Inner City Press to Ask UN About It (Have)

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, July 2 -- A month ago, 19 members of the US Congress wrote to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urging him to take responsibility for the introduction of cholera into Haiti. Inner City Press reported on the letter, but has gotten no satisfactory answer from the UN.

  On Tuesday as the US took over the presidency of the UN Security Council for July, Inner City Press asked acting Permanent Representative Rosemary DiCarlo about the letter.From the US Mission transcript:

Moderator: We'll go to Matt Lee.

Inner City Press: For the new Free U.N. Coalition for Access, thanks for doing this... In your national capacity, 19 members of Congress wrote to the Secretary-General last month about the role of the UN in, they said, the introduction of cholera into Haiti, urging them to take greater responsibility and for the UN to do more. And I wonder, is the Mission aware of that letter, and has it taken any action, or been asked to by those Congress people, to ensure greater UN action on that issue? Thanks.

Ambassador DiCarlo: Thanks for your question... Haiti cholera. I'm sorry, I haven't seen that letter, and we'd have to get back to you on that.

  After Ambassador DiCarlo's press conference, her lead spokesperson Erin Pelton promised an answer. And lo and behold, at 9:45 pm on Tuesday the following came in, from US Mission spokesperson Kurtis Cooper:

“The cholera outbreak resulted in a tragic loss of life just when Haiti was struggling to recover from the devastating earthquake of 2010. As part of the United States’ broad assistance program in Haiti, to date the United States has provided expertise and more than $95 million to respond to the outbreak and help prevent additional cases. As for the May 30th letter to the Secretary-General, we would refer you to the UN for a response.”

  The problem is, Ban Ki-moon's spokespeople refused to even confirm receipt of the letter, much less respond to its contents.

  Similarly on the other question Inner City Press put to Ambassador DiCarlo on Tuesday, the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations has refused for more than three days to even answer if they support units of the Congolese Army now named as involved in rape, torture, conflict gold trade and child soldier recruitment in the Group of Experts report which Inner City Press exclusively put online on June 29, here.

  The US is the host country to the UN, and its largest single national contributor. It is in the position to at least get Ban Ki-moon to respond to these Congress members' entreaty. Will they? Watch this site.