On W. Sahara, ICP Publishes Chissano Notes, Morocco Letter, France & Spain Amend
By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, April 27 -- After Morocco threatened and threw out the civilian component of the UN's MINURSO mission, Inner City Press obtained the UN's Western Sahara report as it had been approved by Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson on April 18, and exclusively in full text published it on Scribd here. This came days after Ban Ki-moon's UN threw its journalistic files out onto First Avenue. Video here and here (Periscope).
On April 26, the UN Security Council “Arria formula” meeting Inner City Press first reported on April 22 took place in the UN's basement, without formal UN interpretation and with the so-called “Group of Friends” which has no African countries on it still dominating the process.
Inner City Press, despite the eviction and being denied access to the "EZTV" view of the meeting Ban's UN gave to its favored scribes, covered the meeting and publishes Morocco's letter opposing any interaction between African Union envoy Chissano with the Security Council, here.
After the meeting, Chissano in the hallway outside UN Conference Room 12 told the Press, We have asked the Security Council to set a deadline. That's for a referendum on self-determination.
While the UN's favored scribes ran quotes from Chissano off the EZTV feed the UN gave them while not putting it on the Internet webcast for the interested public, Inner City Press has obtained and published Chissano's talking points for the meeting, here.
Venezuela and Uruguay complained about the “Group of Friends” drafting process; other said that France's approach to Morocco's ouster order ultimately undermines the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, which France has controlled four times in a row, now via underminer-in-chief Herve Ladsous.
Inner City Press has obtained from its diplomat sources these elements of the US draft:
"Noting with concern that the expulsion of MINURSO civilian personnel in March 2016 has significantly affected MINURSO’s ability to carry out its functions,
Emphasizes strongly the need for MINURSO to return to full functionality immediately.
Requests the Secretary General to brief the Council within 60 days on whether MINURSO has returned to full functionality and expresses its intention, if MINURSO has not achieved full functionality, to consider immediate steps to facilitate achievement of this goal;
Affirms its full support for the commitment of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy towards a solution to the question of Western Sahara in this context and calls for renewed meetings and strengthening of contacts;
Calls upon the parties to continue negotiations under the auspices of the Secretary-General without preconditions and in good faith."
Inner City Press' diplomatic sources inform it that the French and the Spanish are trying to introduce amendments to the US draft, “to manage an honorable exit for Morocco since the decision to expel the civilian and political component has been taken by the King himself who claims that this decision is irrevocable.” We'll have more on this.
On April 27, the same UN Correspondents Association which got Ban's Spokesman Stephane Dujarric on January 29 to order Inner City Press out of the UN Press Briefing Room will take the Western Sahara issue behind the closed doors of the clubhouse the UN gives it, publicized only to those who pay UNCA money. Inner City Press will not be there.
It is ironic that UNCA held a meeting it claimed was "closed" in the UN's presumptively open Press Briefing Room, then pretends a meeting in its clubhouse, publicized only to those who pay it money, is open. THe UN's use of Inner City Press' January 29 coverage as a pretext to evict it is revealed more each day as retaliation and censorship.
The UN, or at least its Department of Public Information under Cristina Gallach,
Título original
On Western Sahara, AU's Chissano's Talking Points to UNSC, April 26, 2016
On W. Sahara, ICP Publishes Chissano Notes, Morocco Letter, France & Spain Amend
By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, April 27 -- After Morocco threatened and threw out th…