[AFRICANEWS] Niger's military rulers have demanded that the head of the United Nations...an idea whose time has gone...
' diplomatic mission in the country leave within 72 hours.
In a statement dated October 10, Niger's foreign ministry accuses the UN of using "obstacles", to stop the west African nation from fully participating in last month's UN General Assembly.
Madam Louise Aubin has been in post since January 2021.
During the 78th session of the UN General Assembly held in September, a representative of Niger who was initially set to take the floor did not.
According to a diplomatic source cited by the AFP, the organization had received two competing requests to address the assembly: one from the military rulers and one from the toppled government.
At the time, the military leaders criticised "perfidious actions" of the UN Secretary-General António Guterres
...Portuguese politician and diplomat, ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees between 2005 and 2015. He was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and was the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party from 1992 to 2002. He served as President of the Socialist International from 1999 to 2005. In both a 2012 and 2014 poll, the Portuguese public ranked him as the best Prime Minister of the previous 30 years..., accusing him of obstructing their participation in the body's General Assembly.
In response, Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN chief said that "in the event of competing credentials from a member state, the UN chief refers the matter to the body's Credentials Committee, for deliberation." Adding the Secretary-General "does not deicide" on such a matter.
The 9-member committee reports to the Assembly on the credentials of representatives.
The body has for instance has postponed several times its decisions on Burma and Afghanistan. The two countries are still represented at the UN by the ambassadors of the former governments.