UN Special Envoy To Syria Warns That The Country May End Up Being Partitioned

United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, addresses a news conference on the latest developments in Syria at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, Oct. 12, 2015.

VOA: UN Official: Partition of Syria Possible if No Improvement

GENEVA - A senior United Nations official warns the partition of Syria is possible if the situation in the conflict-ridden country continues to deteriorate or is left in its current chaotic state.

Staffan de Mistura said he considers the possible partition of Syria as one of the worst-case scenarios, and he said the major powers and Syria's warring factions do not want this scenario to occur.

De Mistura, the secretary-general's special envoy for Syria, however, said he has noted a de facto partitioning already occurring.

WNU Editor: The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria is correct .... this war in its current state will only result in a de facto partition of Syria .... a worrisome prospect in view of the fact that this would mean that groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State would be able to hold onto their territories. On a side note .... Staffan de Mistura is going to be doing some travelling this week .... UN peace envoy for Syria heading to Moscow, Washington (Channel News Asia/AFP) .... but I suspect that while they will politely listen to him, all sides are now pursuing their own agenda.

The U.N. Wants To Escalate It's War Against Al Shabaab

U.N. Declares War On al-Shabab -- The Cable/Foreign Policy

A U.N.-backed African military force in Somalia must launch a new military offensive against al-Shabab's insurgents if it is to stem the spread of terrorism in East Africa and ensure the survival of Somalia's struggling government, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned the U.N. Security Council.

Ban appealed for a temporary military surge of thousands of additional African troops into Somalia in order to deal a decisive military defeat to al-Shabab. The offensive would aim to deprive the Islamist militant group of the ability to freely recruit new followers and secure the taxes and investments necessary to underwrite its terrorist operations from Mogadishu to Nairobi, Kenya, where the group recently carried out a brazen attack against civilians at the upscale Westgate mall.

Read more ....

Update: Thousands of additional troops urged for force in Somalia -- Washington Post

My Comment: Will Africa heed the U.N.'s called to escalate it's military offensive against al-Shabab's insurgents .... I doubt it. The money is not there, and many of Africa's armed forces are stretched to the limit.

New U.S. Ambassador To U.N. Strongly Condemns Russia

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power speaks to the press following a U.N. Security Council meeting, United Nations Headquarters, New York, Sept. 5, 2013.

New U.S. Envoy To U.N. Strongly Condemns Russia -- New York Times

Samantha Power, the new United States ambassador to the United Nations, strongly criticized Russia on Thursday in her first extensive public remarks about Syria, accusing the Kremlin of holding the Security Council hostage by blocking even modest efforts to condemn the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict.

She said Russia’s actions signaled there was no “available path forward at the Security Council.”

Appearing before the United Nations press corps outside the Security Council, Ms. Power said the United States had been briefing other member states on its intelligence assessment about an attack in the Damascus suburbs on Aug. 21. The assessment concluded that banned chemical munitions had been used and that the forces of President Bashar al-Assad were responsible.

Read more ....

More News On U.S. Ambassador To U.N. Strongly Condemns Russia

U.S. gives up on U.N. Security Council in Syria crisis, blames Russia -- Reuters
The United Nations, held "hostage" by Russia on Syria, trying to stay relevant -- CBS
U.N. Ambassador: No Syria Option Through Security Council -- NPR
US says Russia holding UN Council 'hostage' on Syria -- AFP
Power: No Viable Syria Path Via Security Council -- Voice of America

U.N. Head Criticizes Iran At NAM Summit In Tehran

Photo: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, left, is greeted by Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili for a meeting Wednesday in his Tehran office. Credit: Abolfazi Nesaei / International Iran Photo Agency

Iran's Policies Roasted By UN Head, Egyptian Leader -- Reuters

* Ban Ki-moon decries call for destruction of Israel
* Mursi urges support for foes of Iran's ally Assad
* Iran sees NAM summit as proof isolation has failed

DUBAI, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The U.N. chief and Egypt's president delivered stinging speeches at a summit of developing nations in Iran on Thursday, damaging the host country's quest for global prestige and support for its nuclear programme and its policy on Syria.

The Iranians had to listen while Ban Ki-moon denounced them for calling for Israel's destruction and denying the Holocaust.

Read more ....

More News On The U.N. Chief Criticizing Iran At The NAM Summit In Tehran

U.N. chief raises human rights in Tehran, stuns hosts -- L.A. Times
UN, Iran leaders duel over nuclear issue -- AFP
UN chief to Iran: Prove nuclear program is peaceful, cease verbal attacks on Israel -- Haaretz
UN chief hits host Iran over human rights -- Bloomberg Businessweek/AP
Iran, Syria Criticized at NAM Summit Intended for Support -- Bloomberg
U.N. Chief Criticizes Iran on Rights -- Wall Street Journal
U.N. Leader Broaches Delicate Topics in Meetings With Top Iranian Officials -- New York Times

UN Agency Criticized For Breaking UN Sanctions On North Korea And Iran

UN Agency Slammed After Refusing US Request For Probe Into Iran, N. Korea Shipments -- FOX News

A United Nations agency under fire for shipments of computers and other sophisticated equipment to North Korea and Iran has apparently rejected a request by the U.S. State Department to conduct an independent probe into the controversy, drawing a pointed bipartisan rebuke from top lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

In a letter being released Tuesday, the leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee complained to World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry about his agency's refusal to cooperate. They accused the agency of locking down key documents while trying to root out the whistle-blowers who alerted others to the scandal -- and then rebuffing the State Department's request for an outside investigation.

Read more ....

Update: U.S. House Committee Urges Fresh Probe of UN Agency WIPO -- Bloomberg Businessweek

My Comment: I use to work for the UN (ICAO in Montreal), so I have a very good idea on how they function. In short .... these UN bureaucrats and officials have a very good job that pays well with benefits. If something was done wrong .... as it appears to be in this case .... trust me .... there is going to be a lot of obstruction and CYA occurring .... especially when investigators start to request information that is embarrassing.

A Call For More Military Intervention?

David Cameron: World Should Be Quicker To take Military Action To Stop Slaughter -- The Telegraph

David Cameron will today urge the world to be quicker to take military action to stop states from slaughtering their own people.

The Prime Minister will use his first speech to the United Nations to demand that the organisation become less of a talking shop and intervene when people under brutal regimes require its help.

In a clear statement of intent following Nato's successful campaign against Muammar Gaddafi's Libya, Mr Cameron will tell international leaders that the world must be prepared to act again.

Read more ....

My Comment: PM Cameron believes that most interventions in conflicts would be bloodless like Libya's .... but this is far from the truth. Most conflicts are like Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan's tribal areas .... just to name a few. Calls for military intervention may make great press, but Britain lacks the military resources and .... when it comes down to it .... political will to get involved on a regular basis to intervene militarily into other countries.

Ban Ki Moon To Address Security Council On Sri Lanka 'War Crimes'

Ban Ki Moon

From Times Online:

The UN Secretary-General caved in to demands to brief the Security Council on his trip to Sri Lanka yesterday after calls mounted for an international war crimes inquiry into the fighting this year.

Ban Ki Moon was to address the Security Council in a closed-door session last night after Russia and China failed to keep Sri Lanka off the council’s agenda.

The briefing came as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reiterated calls for an independent investigation into alleged war crimes committed by both sides and pledged the UN’s support for such an inquiry.

Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Rohitha Bogollagama, angrily rejected allegations of wrongdoing after last week’s revelations in The Times that more than 20,000 civilians were believed to have died in the island’s so-called no-fire zone, most of them from Sri Lankan army shelling.

Read more ....

My Comment: Aside from a declaration, nothing of substance will be done to Sri Lanka. The war is over, and one can only hope that the detainees in Sri Lanka's prisons will be released in due time.

U.N.'s Ban Says Slump May Lead To Political Crisis

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (Photo from UNEscap)

From Yahoo News/AP:

MOSCOW (Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned on Friday that the global economic crisis could lead to a political crisis and social unrest and called on the world's leading economies to act.

"I am concerned that if we do not properly address this issue swiftly, this may develop rather alarmingly into political instability, into a political crisis," the U.N. chief told diplomats in Moscow.

Ban, who was speaking less than a week before he attends a crisis meeting of leaders of the G20 group of industrialized and developing nations in London, spoke of the impact of the economic crisis on Russia and Eastern Europe.

Read more ....

My Comment: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon knows his history, economic/financial crisis have always led to conflicts and wars.

U.N. 'Climate Change' Plan Would Likely Shift Trillions to Form New World Economy

From FOX News:

A United Nations document on "climate change" that will be distributed to a major environmental conclave next week envisions a huge reordering of the world economy, likely involving trillions of dollars in wealth transfer, millions of job losses and gains, new taxes, industrial relocations, new tariffs and subsidies, and complicated payments for greenhouse gas abatement schemes and carbon taxes — all under the supervision of the world body.

Those and other results are blandly discussed in a discretely worded United Nations "information note" on potential consequences of the measures that industrialized countries will likely have to take to implement the Copenhagen Accord, the successor to the Kyoto Treaty, after it is negotiated and signed by December 2009. The Obama administration has said it supports the treaty process if, in the words of a U.S. State Department spokesman, it can come up with an "effective framework" for dealing with global warming.

Read more ....

A New Global Currency?

UN Panel Touts New Global Currency Reserve System -- Yahoo News/AFP

A UN panel of expert economists pressed Thursday for a new global currency reserve scheme to replace the volatile, dollar-based system and for coordinated steps by rich countries to stimulate their economies.

"A new Global Reserve System -- what may be viewed as a greatly expanded SDR (Special Drawing Rights), with regular or cyclically adjusted emissions calibrated to the size of reserve accumulations, could contribute to global stability, economic strength and global equity," the panel said.

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My Comment: I guess it is time to now start buying gold.

Obama Pick For UN Ambassador Known For Tough Stance On Genocide

Susan Rice, who served as an assistant secretary of state under President Bill Clinton, is Barack Obama's foreign policy adviser. (Kevin Sanders/The Associated Press)

From The International Herald Tribune:

CHICAGO: President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his foreign policy adviser, Susan Rice, to be ambassador to the United Nations, picking an advocate of "dramatic action" against genocide as he rounds out his national security team, Democrats close to the transition said.

Obama was to announce Rice's selection at a news conference here Monday along with his previously reported decisions to nominate Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for secretary of state, keep Robert Gates as defense secretary and appoint General James Jones, a retired Marine commandant, his national security adviser, the Democrats said Sunday.

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My Comment: OK .... the U.S. is now going to go around and save the world, and using the U.N. as the instrument for your actions. Take it from one who worked for the U.N. for a dozen years (I was employed by ICAO) .... this will be a waste of time.

But saving the world ..... isn't that what President Bush has been trying to do? Sigh .... goodbye to the old boss .... welcome to the new boss. I heard this song before.

Interfaith Dialogue Is A Joke

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah arrives at Heathrow Airport ahead of a state banquet in London.
(Reuters: Dylan Martinez )

From Foreign Policy Blog:

Today, the United Nations is hosting an "interfaith dialogue" on religious tolerance led by... Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy where religious freedom does not exist. I guess it's like John McEnroe holding a seminar on good sportsmanship.

The supposed big news about the event is that King Abdullah just might, maybe, be in the same room as Shimon Peres, the Israeli president, during dinner. Will they shake hands?

Arab News, a Saudi-owned newspaper, credulously reports, "[T]he conference is expected to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity in the world."

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My Comment: I could not have said it better than myself. If Saudi Arabia permits free religious expression in their country, I will then believe in their good intentions.

Russia Rejects UN Call To Pull out of Georgia

Russian tanks patrol the outskirts of Gori, as President Demitry Medvedev delays the withdrawal Photo: AP

From The Telegraph:

Russia has rejected a draft UN resolution demanding it immediately pull out of Georgia, as President Dimitry Medvedev again delayed the withdrawal.

The French-drafted Security Council resolution called for Moscow's forces to retreat to positions they held before the conflict that broke out on August 7 after Georgia attemped to reclaim South Ossetia, a rebel province.

But Moscow insists the ceasefire deal brokered last week by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, allows for its troops to remain in a buffer zone well inside the Georgian side of the South Ossetian border, and that any UN resolution must reflect this.

Read more ....

More News On Russia, The U.N., and Georgia

Russia Rejects New UN Draft on Georgia -- Voice Of America
Russia rejects UN Georgia draft -- BBC News
Russia says troops to leave Georgia by weekend -- AFP
NATO accuses Russia of not honoring agreed cease-fire with Georgia -- CNN
US labels Russia an international outlaw -- ABC News (Australia)
Russia In Partial Troop Pullback From Georgia; Shrugs Off UN, NATO Pressure -- All Headline News

France distorts Georgian peace plan at UN -- Moscow RussiaToday



My Comment:The French and the allies imposed a truce agreement that only the Russians read. Bottom line .... the truce agreement states that the Russian military is permitted to not only stay in the breakaway provinces, but to stay in a buffer zone whose borders are probably ill defined. Instead of living to the spirit of the agreement, they are going to live by what it states.

This is where the disagreement lies. The U.N. draft contains no provisions of a buffer zone, but instead a demand that Russian forces retreat to pre-war borders. This must be causing a great deal of consternation in Moscow.

I personally expect the Russian Army to eventually go back to the pre-war borders .... but they will take their time and they will probably be positioned (according to geography that is advantageous to them)in places that will be in Georgian territory.