UNITED NATIONS, February 19 — Susan Rice, the US Ambassador to the UN, accused the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Somalia Mark Bowden of “misconstruing” US restrictions on aid. Ambassador Rice asserted a “diversion of resources” to the Islamist group Al Shabab. Since it is on US terrorism lists, US law requires the restrictions the US is demanding.
But what are these U.S. restrictions? Bowden, while publicly complaining about them, would not provide any description. Rather, he said that when he went to Washington to discussed them with US aid officials, they told him the issue was “above [their] pay grade.”
Inner City Press asked Ambassador Rice about precisely this quote. She insisted that it is Al Shabab which is responsible for the lack of aid. Video here.
But what of Bowden’s quoting of US aid officials? A US State Department official in Washington, described as “irritated,” has said of Bowden, “We’re going to talk to him.” The quote reminded on UN observer of “something from the Sopranos,” or the Mafia film “Good Fellas.”
When Bowden’s boss, top UN humanitarian John Holmes, stood before a UN microphone on Thursday evening, Inner City Press asked him to explain what Bowden had said, and to describe the US restrictions to which the UN is publicly taking exception.
But Holmes responded that the message was only that the UN needs more funds. Even pressed, he declined to follow or back up Bowden. Video here, last question.
Was this “good cop, bad cop,” an observer mused afterwards. Or was Holmes showing his political stripes, declining to criticize the U.S. as, for example, his predecessor Jan Egeland did after the tsunami?
Following Ambassador Rice’s two responses to the Press about Somalia, she went in to a Security Council meeting about Haiti. Speaking first, from a prepared text, was the UN’s John Holmes. So goes diplomacy at the UN.
Footnotes: While Ambassador Rice also took two questions about Iran’s nuclear program, the Press was not able to ask for her views on developments in Sudan and Darfur, or on anti-democratic moves in Niger and Cote d’Ivoire, nor the incorporation of a presumptive war criminal into Guinea’s interim government. But the answers on Somalia, although of a piece with Washington’s script, were appreciated.
Thursday a UN official told Inner City Press that “Susan Rice, as an expected future Secretary of State, is playing it safe. She will not, for example, criticize [former South African president Thabo] Mbeki about Sudan.” Until questions are asked, and answered, we’ll stick to an open mind.
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INNERCITY
