On W. Sahara, UN Drops "Referendum for Self-Determination" From April 6 Report
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, April
11 -- In what is becoming an annual ritual of craven ineptitude, the UN
Secretariat of Ban Ki-moon and Frenchman Herve Ladsous have again crudely
watered down their report on Western Sahara.
Inner City Press is today putting online the versions of April 6, 2012, which had
a discussion of the referendum on self-determination for which the UN
mission MINURSO was set up, and the changed version of April
11, which drops the reference, and
more.
The April
6 version said that MINURSO was
"intended
to operate for three critical purposes: 1) as an instrument of stability in the
event that the political stalemate continues; 2) as a mechanism to implement a referendum on self-determination in
the event that the talks led by my Personal Envoy are successful; and 3) to
provide independent information on conditions in the Territory to the
Secretariat, the Security Council, and the international
community."
The revised April 11
version changes 2) to
"as a
mechanism to support implementation of
successive Security Council resolutions related to the mandate of MINURSO
(the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western
Sahara)."
Compare April 6 version,
here, especially from Paragraph 114, with April 11 changed version,
here.
This happened last year,
though it took an actual leak to Inner City Press to expose it. This year,
the UN did it openly, after having circulated the April 6 version.
While most attribute
the changes to pressure from Morocco, which this year unlike last is a member of
the Security Council, active not only on Western Sahara and often positively,
Inner City Press would put more of the blame, or shame, on the Secretariat of
Ban Ki-moon and Ladsous, the fourth Frenchman in a row to head the UN Department
of Peacekeeping
Operations.
Already Ladsous has been written to with this
complaint:
"Dear Mr.
Ladsous. I am concerned by the fact that the UNSG report whose copy has been
already sent to the UNSC members and the parties (Morocco news agency MAP has
already published several parts of the report) still not available on the UN web
site. I learned that once again Morocco is trying to force changes on some
specific paragraphs contained in the 'recommendations and observations.' This
attempt is showing nothing more nothing less than is not only MINRSDO on the
ground which is submitted to 'unacceptable established practices' imposed by
Morocco but also the UN headquarters."
But Ladsous and Ban Ki-moon who appointed him appear to be more and
more shameless. How will they explain these changes? How will envoy Christopher
Ross respond? His briefing is scheduled for April 17. And what's called the
Group of Friends on Western Sahara are, without AU input, negotiating a draft
resolution, on which we'll have more. Watch this
site.
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