In line with the non-binding UN General Assembly resolution A/Res/66/253 approved at the UN on February 16, 2012, Ban Ki-moon has appointed Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General as the joint UN-Arab League envoy to Syria.(1)

Mr. Annan came to the UN on Wednesday, February 29, to begin the assumption of his role in the Syrian situation. Speaking to journalists at a press stakeout on Wednesday evening, Ban Ki-moon presented Mr. Annan to the media. As this was the first chance for UN journalists and the public to hear from Mr. Annan about the role he envisions playing in the Syrian conflict, it was disappointing that the Spokesman for the Secretary General only allowed 3 questions from journalists at this press encounter.

Clearly Mr. Annan is no stranger to the UN Charter as he served for 10 years as UN Secretary General. Yet his new appointment represents a significant dilemma… weiter lesen

I – Introduction

On Tuesday, October 4, the UN Security Council announced it would take up a draft resolution on Syria. This meeting was to be an instance, when the lessons some Security Council members had drawn from the experience with the resolutions on Libya could be reflected in their action on a draft resolution against Syria.

Several weeks earlier, journalists had been told that there were two different draft resolutions about Syria tabled at the Security Council.

One draft resolution on Syria had been proposed by Russia and China. Russia and China said their resolution had been designed to encourage a peaceful process to help the Syrian government deal both with its stated desire for reforms and with the extremist violence against the Syrian government that was making such reform difficult.

The other draft resolution was tabled by four of the European members of the Security Council –… weiter lesen

[Note: Update 2 – September 12 – There is now a website for the Concerned Africans Open Letter along with a list of the signatures to the letter thus far. The website url for the Open Letter is http://www.concernedafricans.co.za/ As of today, there are over 300 names of concerned Africans listed in support of the letter. In addition there are 5 organizational listings. For updates on the names of those in support of the letter, see the website url http://www.concernedafricans.co.za/index.php/support -R]

[Note: Update 1 – August 25, 2011 – I promised to post an update if there were further developments about the Statement of Concerned Africans. A press conference was held in Johannesburg yesterday, Wednesday, August 24. The letter with over 140 signatures was to be released to the press along with statements by some of the signatories. Among those signing the letter were former president of… weiter lesen

Part I – Journalists Question Security Council Support for Rebel Group

At the April 4 press conference marking the beginning of the Colombian Presidency of the Security Council for April, Nestor Osorio, the Colombian Ambassador to the United Nations was asked what on the surface would seem an unusual question by one of the journalists. The journalist said (1):

“In the wake of Security Council Resolution 1973 [authorizing military action against Libya–ed] are we to expect a more aggressive and proactive posture on the part of the Security Council in supporting rebel groups?”

The journalist gave several examples of such rebel groups as the IRA in the UK, ETA in Spain and perhaps the Corsican rebels in France. Another journalist added the example of the FARC in Colombia.

The question referred to the fact that with SC Resolution 1973, the UN Security Council had taken on to support… weiter lesen