U.N. retracts claim that Belarus sent arms to Ivory Coast

[Judi Lynn]

Source: CNN

U.N. retracts claim that Belarus sent arms to Ivory Coast
By the CNN Wire Staff
March 5, 2011 4:48 a.m. EST

(CNN) -- United Nations officials apologized to Belarus this week for an incorrect report accusing it of shipping attack helicopters to the disputed president of the Ivory Coast.

The U.N. peacekeeping chief said his office received the erroneous report from a Security Council group of experts that is tasked with making sure an arms embargo imposed against the west African nation is implemented.

"This (is a) troubling event and a mistaken report," Alain Le Roy, head of U.N. peacekeeping operations, said in a statement.

A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made the accusations against Belarus on Monday.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/03/05/ivory.coast.arms.apology/index.html?hpt=T2

[Cirque du So-What]

1. Well, who DID send the damned things?!?

Worthless frickin' CNN report anyway! Did the Helicopter Fairy deliver them or what?

Lettuce look instead at a report from a *real* news organization - in this case AFP:

UN investigators are looking into "the arrival of light weapons cargoes from Zimbabwe" in December, said the report which has been handed over as clashes mount between followers of Gbabgo and internationally recognized president Alassane Ouattara.

<snip>

The investigation focuses on four aircraft which landed at San Pedro airport in southern Ivory Coast, in territory controlled by Gbagbo's forces, between December 17-21.

The planes arrived from Angola, Cape Verde and Sao Tome and Principe, according to the report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

Investigators are also looking into a shipment of 10 large wooden crates "which may contain trucks or tanks." The report said the consignment has been at Abidjan port for six months under "24/7" military surveillance.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jksIMHZb5ApMX9uV6j6RTmTeanqw?docId=CNG.0438dcc62ad9f21b61d28319989a15e6.521

Now we're getting somewhere. The article goes on to reiterate the UN statement of apology to Belarus, but still no clue as to why that nation was suspected of smuggling arms to Côte d'Ivoire in the first place.

Onward...

an excerpt from the bottom line of a report by Shawn Humphrey...'a former contributor to The Flint Journal and an amateur Africanist, focusing his personal studies on human rights and political issues on the continent', appearing in the Contributor Network area of Yahoo! News:

* A false report from the U.N. regarding Belarus providing attack helicopters to President Laurent Gbagbo required an apology on March 2. However, "The Africa Report" notes in it's "Anansi" column, "Côte d'Ivoire strife spreads" that "Angola, Israel and Russia provide cash and security" to Gbagbo.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110304/pl_ac/7991600_civilian_killings_power_outages_threaten_ivory_coast

Well, that's a bit closer to what I wanted to know, but it's still out of reach.

Try again...

What's this? A clue, perhaps, in my old nemesis, the WS fucking J:

The intelligence cited by the U.N. in making the accusation came from the U.S., several diplomats told Reuters, and it was deemed credible by the U.N. Group of Experts.

http://blogs.wsj.com/corruption-currents/2011/03/03/u-n-apologizes-over-belarus-helicopter-exports-mistake/

I'm not familiar with Samuel Rubenfeld, so here's a blurb from his own website:

The Web according to Samuel Rubenfeld, a journalist published in Dow Jones Newswires, WSJ.com, Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, Midland (Texas) Reporter-Telegram, The Hill, Village Voice, Newsday, Times of Middle Country and my alma mater's campus newspaper, The Hofstra Chronicle.

I'm 24, and living in Astoria, Queens. I listen to a ton of music and read a lot about politics, public policy, the news media and the future of journalism. I also am a big fan of the Knicks, Jets and Mets. Expect a heavy dose of things to read.

http://www.samuelrubenfeld.com/post/397220322/give-em-enough-rope-rubenfeld-cpac-is-the-most

Judging from the text of that tweet, it's obvious that he's not a wingnut...at least not on the surface. Still...a 24-year-old from Astoria, Queens, with all those corporate media outlets clamoring over his output? Curiouser & curiouser...

The statement Rubenfeld made about the UN's getting their erroneous info 'from the US' concerning Belarus sending helicopters to Côte d'Ivoire...is that valid or a red herring? What of accusations in The Africa Report of other arms from governments as divergent as Angola, Israel & Russia? Considering that disinfo has been taken to a whole 'nother level concerning the circumvention of the arms embargo, I'm starting to smell a neocon rat or two!