Wednesday, October 07, 2009

How Yar'Adua's Absence Threatens Nigeria's Bid for United Nations Security Council Seat, Says Gambari

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

How Yar'Adua's absence threatens Nigeria's bid for UN Security Council seat, by Gambari

President sends Compaore to Guinea over crisis

From Martins Oloja (Abuja) and Oghogho Obayuwana (New York)
THE decision of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua to stay away from the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is a diplomatic blunder which might have its costs for Nigeria, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, an under-secretary-general of the global body of nations, has declared.

Besides, Yar'Adua who is the current chairman of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has sent Burkinabe leader, Blaise Compaore to Guinea in a spirited effort to end the crisis in the country.

The former Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) and erstwhile Minister of Foreign Affairs blamed the blunder on what he called improper advice by the President's aides while briefing journalists at the UN headquarters in New York yesterday.

He said: "...And I must say very strongly as a senior Nigerian here in the UN secretariat that there was a greatly missed opportunity that our head of state was not advised properly to come to this assembly... apart from the regular sessions of the General Assembly, issues of fundamental importance to Nigeria and to Africa were being discussed on the sidelines: Climate change, Millennium Development Goals, we have issues of disarmament and non-nuclear proliferation, financing global health, including a special meeting with President Barack Obama who was coming to the General Assembly for the first time as President of the United States with African leaders on economic co-operation and development and also on troop contributing countries of which Nigeria is well favoured...It was a tremendous opportunity missed."

Gambari spoke just as the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presented his report on women and peace and security to the Security Council.

Gambari however stressed that if high-level lobbying at group, committee and official meeting are well utilised by Nigerian delegates, the country could still claim a non-permanent member seat of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) by the middle of this month when the election of five non-permanent members into the Council would hold.

Nigeria is the current chairman of the UN Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations. A Nigerian delegates' meeting was held at the Nigerian Mission early yesterday morning and was presided over by the desk officer for Nigeria's election bid, Lawrence Olufemi Obisakin, a minister at the mission.

On what manner of campaign would be strong enough for the coveted seat, Gambari, who is also a special adviser to Ban said "...and if our aspiration is to put in view our merit and our standing in world affairs, then we have to step up. If you don't sing your own song, if you don't blow your own trumpet, nobody will blow it for you because they are too busy blowing their own trumpet. Nigeria missed an opportunity to really register its own views on the world, register its credentials as an African leader and register its credentials as a country that is trying to move forward on the issues that are domestic but that is of concern to the international community such as the Niger Delta and electoral reforms in our country."

On what to do next time, he offered: "Next time, I strongly believe the President should be advised not to miss out of the next General Assembly because then, it would be the pattern. That he has not come, that he did not come last year, he did not come this year and he doesn't come next year. It will not be seen in positive light by the rest of the international community. I speak now as a Nigerian, not as a staff of the United Nations. It concerns Nigeria. I have been an ambassador for the longest period of time in its history. I was here from 1989 to 1999. I have had the privilege and so with the privilege goes with responsibility to speak very frankly. You have to speak through to power. It baffles me that many people for reasons best known to them would not always offer the best advice to the leadership of our country."

On Nigeria's chances of clinching the Security Council seat, Gambari submitted that the country has the qualifications to be a permanent member of the Council representing Africa in a reformed and expanded Security Council. "But international politics is not about objectivity... You have to sell yourself and not this kind of re-branding in a PR sense. You have to continue to show your commitment to the ideals of the organisation, we have to show our relevance to defining the major issues that concern the United Nations and this is something that nobody else can do for us. We have to do it ourselves and if we just do what is right, and we have a great opportunity coming very shortly, later this month, Nigeria is likely to be elected. At least, it is up for elections to be a non-permanent member of the Security Council in a very critical period (2010 and 2011), this will be an opportunity to really prove ourselves, prove that we speak for Africa, prove that we are a country to be reckoned with, a country that can make contributions."

According to Gambari, "Nigeria needs to prepare well. Let me give you an example: Brazil is also going to be joining the Security Council this year. Four months ago, they had already sent a team of people to study, understudy the work of the Security Council. They have already identified their priority. They are already here, they are working. So, we have to look at what other countries that are aspirants are doing, not to copy them but to strategise and showcase what we have to offer which is something I believe should be taken very, very seriously."

He stressed that even with Nigeria's endorsement by the African Union (AU), Nigeria still needed to do the basic things and throw its weight on its strength. "Well, the endorsement counts, but at the same time, you have to also present yourself. You are endorsed by the AU but what are you saying about the contributions you have made and are going to make? And recall, this is secret ballot. You need a two-thirds of the votes in the secret ballot. So, that's why I don't think we should just assume that we are in. We have to show that we are worthy, not only that, the number of votes you get, even if you are in, is very important. It shows the credits and the credibility you have in the international community by the number of votes you get even if you are elected as non-permanent member of the Security Council. So, these are the issues that I believe should be addressed thoroughly and should be taken very seriously...

"Well, some people dismiss it to say 'after all, the only members of the Security Council that matter are the permanent five members and of course they are constitutionally allowed the privilege of having the veto but they can use the veto to prevent something from happening, but they cannot use the veto to advance... for any Security council resolution to be adopted, it takes a minimum number of nine, sometimes 11 votes. So, that's where the non- permanent members come in. So, if Nigeria works closely with the non-aligned movement members, work closely with China, it can make a big difference in some of the decisions of the more than five votes in order to pass a resolution. What the veto does is that nothing can be passed on substantive issues without the concurrence of the five permanent members."

The Guardian confirmed last night from the presidency that the president has not only written to the Burkinabe leader, the strong "special envoy" is also said to have accepted the challenge to go to Guinea immediately.

Presidential spokesperson, Olusegun Adeniyi who confirmed the development on telephone last night, said though he did not have details of the discussion between the two leaders, he was aware that President Yar'Adua had spoken to his counterpart in Ouagadougou who has agreed to undertake the tough mission to Conakry.

The President's letter to Compaore reads in part:

"In the course of the seventh session of the International Contact Group on Guinea (ICG-G) held on the 22nd of September, 2009 in New York in the margins of the UN General Assembly, the Group expressed the desire to see other Heads of State of our region follow up on the joint goodwill mission that was undertaken by Presidents Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Abdoulaye Wade to Guinea on 12th September, 2009."

"To this end, I should be grateful if you could find the time to embark on a mission to Conakry with a view to impressing upon Captain Dadis Camara, Chairman of the CNDD, to honour the pledge to the Guinean people, the region and the international community that neither he, the other members of the CNDD nor the Prime Minister would put forward their candidature in the forthcoming presidential elections".

Yar'Adua further said: "This has become even more urgent, given the deterioration of the political, security and human rights situation in Guinea. There is clearly now a breakdown of dialogue between the CNDD and the political parties, trade unions and civil society organizations. The result is that the entire transition process is threatened with complete derailment.

"I have no doubt that, given your impeccable record of facilitating national reconciliation in the region, you will successfully accomplish this mission in the interest of peace in Guinea and the region..."

Adeniyi said on telephone yesterday: "....I am aware the President spoke with President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso during the week and he has agreed to be his emissary to Guinea. I don't have details of the message but I think we all know there is a breakdown of law and order in the country.

"The message of President Yar'Adua to the military leaders in Guinea is that they do everything to ensure that the on-going democratisation process in the country is not derailed".

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