By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, April 11 — The murky annual UN cat and mouse process around Western Sahara in which the same human rights monitoring mechanism mandate that other UN Peacekeeping missions have is briefly proposed and then shot down by Permanent Member of the Security Council France has moved into a third stage.
Inner City Press and the Free UN Coalition for Access on the morning of April 11 put online the first advance copy of the « Report of the Secretary General on the situation concerning Western Sahara, » to be issued as a document of the Security Council under the symbol S/2014/258, here.
At noon on April 11, Inner City Press asked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric if this is Ban’s position. Dujarric said it is not final until it is final — not a good sign, some say. Who wrote this? Who is changing it? Who CAN change it? Inner City Press asked, without answer. Video here.
In Paragraph 100 on Page 20 Ban’s (first) report says, or said, that the goal is « a sustained, independent and impartial human rights monitoring mechanism. »
Amid changes, a Western wire — which has engaged in censorship at the UN, here — quoted French Ambassador Gerard Araud that « France formally denies any interference with the UN Secretariat. » This servile wire did not even mention that it can be done within the UN Secretariat, where the Department of Peacekeeping which runs MINURSO is headed by Herve Ladsous, a long time French diplomat. Nor does it mention Araud being quoted by Javier Bardem that Morocco is France’s « mistress » – if only to run Araud’s denial and litigation threat. We will be watching for that.
As a part of this watchfulness, Inner City Press had published a letter just submitted to the President of the Security Council by « a number of Nordic organisations, from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, » urging the inclusion of human rights monitoring in MINURSO’s mandate.
Even former UN envoy on Western Sahara Peter van Walson has written to French president Francois Hollande urging France to stop opposing human rights monitoring in Western Sahara.
Also new this year is the discomfort caused by Spanish actor Javier Bardem asserting that French Ambassador Gerard Araud told him that Morocco is like France’s mistress.
French foreign ministry spokesperson Romain Nadal has reportedly confirmed that Araud met with Bardem in 2011; Araud has said he would seek permission to sue Bardem. (There is a pattern here.) Now, Jacques Audibert is said slated to take over for Araud by July.
So this will be Araud’s last campaign opposing human rights monitoring in Western Sahara. Earlier on April 10 Araud spoke at the Security Council stakeout about Central African Republic but when Inner City Press asked about the Chadian troops there, charged by the High Commissioner for Human Rights with killing 30 civilians, Araud told Inner City Press to Ask Chad’s Ambassador.
US Ambassador Samantha Power moments later answered Inner City Press’ question about the withdrawal of Chad’s troops from CAR, video here.
The April 10 advance copy of the « Report of the Secretary General on the situation concerning Western Sahara » consists of 104 paragraphs and a map.
To begin with — Inner City Press will have more than one report on this Report — there is a recognition of « demostrations aimed at drawing attention to human rights concerns, socio-economic issues and political demands, including the right to self-determination. These were swiftly dispersed by Moroccan security forces. On most such occasions, there were credible reports of heavy-handedness on the part of security forces as well as violence, such as stone-throwing, on the part of the demonstrators. »
The Report says « of particular note was a demonstration that took place in Laayoune on 5 May 2013… Protesters expressed dissatisfaction that Security Council resolution 2099 (2013) did not include provisions to include human rights monitoring in MINURSO’s mandate. »
Will it be different this year? Watch this site.
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