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| East/Subsaharan Africa |
| U.N. creating Ivory Coast mission |
| 2003-05-13 |
| U.N. Security Council members intend to create a new peacekeeping mission in the Ivory Coast Tuesday with a maximum of 76 military observers to help enforce a fragile cease-fire in the West African nation's eight-month civil war. 76 observers, yeah, that'll help With massacres reported daily, the council's resolution establishes for six months a U.N. Mission in Cote d'Ivoire, known by the French acronym MINUCI. All tremble before the mighty French acronym! The mission will also include a small number of civilian officials for political, legal, humanitarian and human rights issues. The military officers are to work with a West African force and the 4,000 French soldiers in the country as well as the Ivory Coast military and rebel militia to give advice and monitor a January cease-fire. The mission would serve for an initial six months, subject to renewal. Because no one expects this to be over in 6 months. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan had asked for a total of 255 personnel, including 76 military officers, 85 international and 89 local civilian staff plus U.N. volunteers. But the United States objected to its one-year price tag of $27 million and sent the proposal back to the U.N. peacekeeping department to be trimmed. See, the US is responsible for this failure even before it starts. You knew they'd find a way to blame us, didn't you? "I think it will make an immediate difference to have this U.N. instrument on the ground even though it isn't a weapon-wielding force itself," British Ambassador Sir Jeremy Greenstock told a news conference Monday. Because, we're the U.N.! Greenstock leads a Security Council mission to West Africa, beginning Thursday in Nigeria, the largest nation in the region. The delegation will then visit the capitals of Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone during the seven-day trip. Seven hellholes in seven days. That's what you get booking your vacation on CheapTickets.com. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #8 unamred observers never matter? Tripwires? I'm sure sometimes they do. It hardly makes him a laughingstock. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-05-13 14:18:37 |
| #7 liberalhawk: "I think it will make an immediate difference to have this U.N. instrument on the ground even though it isn't a weapon-wielding force itself," I think that quote speaks for itself. The notion that the U.N., just by being there, will make a difference... No guns, just their intimidating physical presence... |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-05-13 12:50:34 |
| #6 whats your problem with Greenstock, dont you remember the UN debates on Iraq? |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-05-13 12:01:33 |
| #5 Sir Jeremy |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-05-13 11:23:46 |
| #4 76 observers should be able to provide a very precise count of the dead. |
| Posted by: Hermetic 2003-05-13 11:04:42 |
| #3 France's african influence is slowly but surely crumbling, since the Rwanda genocide & the Zaire/DRC war(s) 10 yrs ago. If Ivory Coast falls apart, and it may well do so unfortunately, all of its "african backyard" is flushed down : the Franc CFA monetary system (about 15 countries whose economical & monetary policies are ultimately made by Paris) is based at 20% (40% west Africa)on IC alone. France wouldn't be able to call itself even a "regional power" any longer (well, except for Chirac's popularity in Algeria, pointless except if he plans to run for presidency there, still). |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-05-13 10:47:44 |
| #2 But the United States objected to its one-year price tag of $27 million and sent the proposal back to the U.N. peacekeeping department to be trimmed. Wasn't this France's problem? Why are we even involved in discussing 27 million dollar fiascos in the Ivory Coast? |
| Posted by: g wiz 2003-05-13 10:17:17 |
| #1 unamred observers never matter? Tripwires? I'm sure sometimes they do. It hardly makes him a laughingstock. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 5/13/2003 2:18:37 PM |