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UN Radio
UN and Africa
Programme Number: 070
Week of: Sunday, 16th October, 2005
Recording Date: Thursday, 20th October, 2005
Topical Issue(s):
LIBERIA: RUN-OFF POLLS FOR PRESIDENCY
UNMEE: UN'S WORK AFFECTED BY ERITREAN HELICOPTER
BAN
Editor / Presenter: Ben Dotsei Malor
Producer: Derrick Mbatha
Production Assistant: Beng Poblete-Enriquez
Studio Engineer: Julio Martinich
Duration: 15'00"
PRESENTER: This is United Nations Radio from New York.
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and hold under narr.)
PRESENTER:
Hello and welcome to UN and Africa. I'm Ben Dotsei
Malor.
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and hold under)
PRESENTER:
Liberia's presidential election goes into a second-round
on November 8th, with Football star George Weah in
the lead against former World Bank official, Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf, but the head of the National Elections
Commission, Frances Johnson-Morris receives death
threats.
CLIP-1: UNMIL SPOKESMAN RISLEY
" Such threats constitute a serious impediment
to the consolidation of peace and security in Liberia
."
PRESENTER:
That was spokesman for the UN peacekeeping mission
in Liberia, Paul Risley.
And moving east …
Why the government of President Isaias Aferwerki of
Eritrea still refuses to restrict the work of the
UN Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea, UNMEE?
CLIP2: CLIP OF SRSG LEGWAILA
"Eritrea, understandably, is angry with the international
community, with the Security Council for not doing
enough to break the stalemate. Unfortunately, they
are punishing the wrong party, the innocent party
which is UNMEE ."
The words of the head of UNMEE, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila.
Stay with us, on, UN and Africa.
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under until first sentence.)
LIBERIA: RUN-OFF PRESIDENTIAL POLLS
After the 11th October elections failed to produce
a presidential winner with a clear majority of votes,
Liberians are gearing up for a second-round on Tuesday
November 8, to decide among the two top contenders.
World soccer star George Oppong Weah has led the
polls count with just over 28 per cent of the votes,
followed in second-plcae by Mrs Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
Here's how the head of the national Elections Commission
Frances Johnson-Morris announced the outcome.
CLIP: NEC HEAD JOHNSON MORRIS
Looking at the numbers above and estimating a total
turn out of approximately one million, which is about
74 per cent of the 1.35 million registered voters,
the next sees it prudent to begin preparations for
a presidential election. If the final source from
tallying confirm this assessment, the run off election
will be held on November 8, 2005.
Madame Johnson-Morris has supervised these peaceful
and orderly elections in an atmosphere free of violence
and intimidation, but following the declaration of
the results has been issued some death threats …
Something the UN mission is taking seriously, according
to spokesman Paul Risley.
UNMIL RISLEY ON THREATS
Such threats constitute a serious impediment to the
consolidation of peace and security in Liberia and
as we have said in the past, UNMEE will react robustly
to any threats of violence against individuals involved
in the elections process.
The National Elections boss has played down the threats
deklivered to her through text messages. And most
Liberians - including these two voters - appear just
focussed on the run-off presidential polls on the
8th of November.
Well, on the line to Liberia, we asked the head of
the UN peacekeeping mission Alan Doss, first, how
seriously they are taking these death threats against
the Elections Commissioner?
ALAN DOSS
Well, we have, in fact, since the elections started,
we have increased our security coverage of the national
elections commission and the chairman, just to be
sure that there are no incidents. As I say, I hope
these were empty threats, but nevertheless, we are
not going to take any risk and I want everybody to
know that we take these things very seriously.
Mr. Doss, overall, how would you describe the mood
of Liberians from the 11th October elections going
into the second round of these presidential polls?
Well, I think everybody here was extremely pleased
by the way the elections were handled and the way
they were conducted on the 11th of October, so I think
coming out of that - winners or losers, there was
a general sense that this had been the best election
that Liberia's had so far. But obviously, we now have
another round to go through, the runoff between the
leading presidential candidates, and we hope that
will be conducted, both in terms of the campaigning,
the election day itself, and then the days that follow,
as the results are announced, we hope that that will
follow the same pattern.
You have two top contenders: Mr. George Weah and
Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf. What is the role of the UN in
this interim period? What are you doing to make sure
things succeed in the end?
Well, we will, of course, learn some lessons from
the first round - some things that didn't work quite
as well as we would like - we will take those lessons
on board, and with the national election commission,
which has the primary responsibility for conducting
the elections, we will work with the commission to
address those problems. Although I think in general
this next round will be simpler in some ways, because,
of course, there's only one race and there are only
two candidates. The last time around there were 3
races with several hundred candidates for all the
different seats and posts. So this should be in that
sense somewhat easier, but again, I don't think we
can afford to be in any way complacent. It's a big
job. Many of the polling places are very difficult
to get to, so it's going to require an extensive support
and logistics from United Nations Mission in Liberia,
and of course, we will remain on very high security
alert in the run-up to, during and after the elections,
so as that they are indeed, again, violence-free,
free from intimidation. We would urge, of course,
the candidates and all their supporters and campaign
staff to help us ensure that they are indeed violence-free
and conducted in the same positive atmosphere that
the first round were conducted.
The head of the UN's peacekeeping mission in Liberia,
Alan Doss.
STING / JINGLE UN AND AFRICA
UN PEACEKEEPING PROBLEMS IN ERITREA
Despite condemnation and appeals from the UN Security
Council and Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the government
of Eritrea continues to maintain its restrictions
on the operations of UN peacekeepers in Eritrea.
The government of President Isaiah Aferwerki imposed
a ban on all UN helicopter flights in early October
resulting in a very significant reduction in the UN's
monitoring, de-mining and other operations along Eritrea's
contested border with Ethiopia.
UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has been speaking
this week about the ban's impact on the UN's work.
SG-1 ON ERITREA.
"We are placed in a situation where the government
has not been cooperating and has limited the movement
of our troops somewhere isolated in certain positions
and so we've begun regrouping them and positioning
ourselves in a manner that protects the men. Obviously,
our proceedings and operation have been impeded and
if this continues we would have to take some very
hard and critical decisions as to the usefulness of
staying there cannot even operate."
Mr Annan also sought to put the Eritrean restrictions
in a broader context.
SG-2 ON ERITREA.
"We have not been able to get any explanation
out of the government. You know that our relationship
with the Eritrean government has not been an easy
one and we are not the only organization or entity
with difficult relations with that government."
The head of the UN's peacekeeping department Jean-Marie
Guehenno added that ordinary Eritreans are also directly
affected by the helicopter ban.
GUEHENNO 1 ON ERITREA.
"As you know, we do de-mining in the Temporary
Security Zone and that is something that has been
of great benefit to the Eritrean people. The procedure
for de-mining, because of the obvious risks that de-mining
entails, is that you don't do de-mining if you are
not sure you can bring the people quickly to hospital
with a helicopter. So we have had to stop all de-mining
operations which I think hurts the mission, but hurts,
first and foremost the people of Eritrea."
So what needs to be done and what exactly is the
situation on the ground in Eritrea? That the questions
I put to the head of the peacekeeping mission to Ethiopia
and Eritrea, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila.
INTERVIEW WITH SRSG LEGWAILA.
Well, we have said that we have degraded to the tune
of 60%. Actually, our ability to monitor from there
has been degraded by 100%. And our ability to see
everything that we need to see in our area of responsibility
has been degraded to the tune of 60%.
And we understand some injured peacekeepers over
the last few days could not be moved quickly to a
hospital.
Yes, because I asked them when they banned the flights,
I asked them to come to some arrangement with us to
take account of the unthinkable, the unthinkable being
terrible accidents in the area of operation so that
we can be allowed to scramble the helicopters to go
and pick up the people there to send them to the level
2 hospital here run by Jordanians. Unfortunately,
they never responded to my request. I followed with
telephone calls. Up to now, I haven't received any
response from them. And so, when this accident happened
with our Kenyan colleagues, I wrote an urgent letter,
a mayday letter to say that, "Well, this is what
we want might happen, if the helicopters are grounded,
please could be allowed to go and rescue these victims
of vehicle accident and unfortunately, up to now,
there has been no response so we ended up using an
ambulance by road from Shambiko to Asmara. Lucky enough,
the patients were able to endure the drive from Shambiko
to Asmara and they are recovering in the hospital
here in Asmara.
How are they right now?
Now they are okay. I went to see them yesterday and
the one who was seriously injured was still in pain
but quite able to speak and it's very clear that he's
on the way to recovery.
We understand over two years now, you haven't been
able even to have a discussion with President Isaiah
Aferwerki why is this the case?
Well, you know, I'm told the reason is one, that
he has a problem with the international community,
but not with UNMEE, and then the other reason, he
advances is that by the way, in 2000 when they agreed
to invite the United Nations to come and operate here,
they established a commission, a commission run by
a commissioner and the commission is the link between
the peacekeeping mission and the government of Eritrea.
And therefore, the president suddenly says, "Well,
why does he want to see me?" because there is
a link between the mission and the government of Eritrea
in the form of the commission and that I must deal
with the commissioner. And I've been dealing with
the commissioner I have been dealing with the foreign
minister, the foreign minister of course passed away.
It's just that once in a while when you are a special
representative of the Secretary-General, where you'd
want to brief the head of state to tell him this is
the state of the peacekeeping process, which I do
with the prime minister of Ethiopia, any time I ask,
I have not had any problem with the seeing the prime
minister of Ethiopia.
Why do you think President Aferwerki does not want
to see you, the top UN Envoy in Eritrea where you
are actually based?
Well, you know, I don't know to tell you the truth
because well, one of the reasons of course is that
he is very angry with the UN, I can tell you, very
angry with the United Nations. In other words, this
stalemate in the peace process has given him the impression
that the UN either doesn't care or is cuddling the
other side, and therefore, that's one of reasons why
he wouldn't want to see a representative of an organization
which he detests.
How real is the threat of a UN peacekeeping pullout
of Eritrea?
Well, as the Secretary-General said, and as I said
myself, if the mission is prevented from discharging
its mandate entrusted to it by the Security Council,
at the invitation of Ethiopia and Eritrea, then there
will be no use for the mission to remain here because
we have not come here to be restricted to barracks.
We have come here in order to move around, to find
out what is going on in the temporary security zone
and the adjacent areas. And to be able to warn the
international community if something like war starting
again suddenly takes place. And then we can say to
the international community, we see a build up of
troops on both sides of the border. So if we can't
do that and if we can't even rescue our injured colleagues
because the helicopters are not being allowed to fly,
and then of course, it can deteriorate beyond that.
I mean, if they like they can stop even our vehicles
from moving around. And then, as the Secretary-General
said, as I said, then we'll become 100% useless. And
therefore, I can't imagine the Security Council saying
we should remain here and the UN should continue to
pour 200 million a year to keep us here when we are
not doing what we have been invited here to do. UNMEE
is the embodiment of the international community on
the ground and therefore, to put pressure on the international
community, you can do something like what is being
done now with UNMEE. The Eritreans to be honest with
you, I would be surprised if they are angry with UNMEE
instead of being angry with the people who have the
wherewithal to break the stalemate because it is not
UNMEE who created the stalemate. And it is not UNMEE
who is going to break the stalemate because we didn't
create it in the first place. Eritrea understandably
is angry with the international community, with the
Security Council for not doing enough to break the
stalemate. Unfortunately, they are punishing the wrong
party, the innocent party which is UNMEE.
So what pressure can the Security Council, what pressure
can the international community bring to bear on the
Eritrean government so that they allow your helicopters
to fly and then you in the peacekeeping mission can
operate freely and correctly?
Well, that is a question to be put to the Security
Council not to somebody who is the victim of grounding.
I think the Security Council should be asked, you
are the Security Council, you established the mission
and deployed it in the Ethiopia and Eritrea and this
is the way the mission is being treated. Are you going
to sit there and watch the mission's work being impeded?
What would you like…
I wish you could go to the President of the Security
Council and ask him that question.
But what would you like him to do? What would you
like the Security Council to do Ambassador Legwaila?
It's not a matter of me wanting them to do, I told
them that one of the things they can do is to send
a mission here to come and make sure that these leaders
of these 2 countries understand that time has long
passed for the demarcation of the border to take place.
And I have said that the witnesses to the peace agreement
of the December 12 should galvanize themselves and
reengage and make sure that they help the parties
to negotiate this hurdle, make sure that the border
is demarcated and the mission can go. And those 2
simple things have not been done.
The head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia
and Eritrea, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila.
That's UN and Africa for this week
Our thanks again to our colleague in UNMIL Radio
in Liberia
Thanks to the team of Julio Martinich, Derrick Mbatha,
and Beng Poblete-Enriquez and thanks to you for listening.
I'm Ben Dotsei Malor.
Goodbye.
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