On Somalia, Security Council Denies African Union Position, Calling It a Mere Point of View, Disagreements on Darfur

UNITED NATIONS, December 27 -- When is a communique not a communique?

Tuesday in the UN Security Council, meeting about the crisis in Somalia, a number of council members said they would follow the position of the African Union, IGAG and the Arab League, which were slated to meet overnight.

For example, Ghana's Ambassador Nana Efah Apentengsaid, "I am an African, I will follow what the African Union does." The Council meeting broke up Tuesday night without taking any action, leading some to question whether the Council, or the most powerful members on it, were just dallying so that Ethiopia could "finish the job" on the Islamic Courts, as both outgoing Secretary-General Kofi Annan and U.S. Ambassador Alejandro Wolff were asked.

Here's video of Annan; Video of Wolff.

Overnight, as reported by BBC, the AU, IGAD and Arab League issued a communique calling for the removal of Ethiopian troops. But after the Council again took no action on Somalia on Wednesday, Inner City Press asked Ghana's Nana what happened, what about the AU communiqué?

"Which communique?" Amb. Nanna asked.

The one calling on Ethiopia to withdraw its troops from Somalia.

"Oh really. We saw that communiqué, but some of us had questions about it."

Back at the Security Council stakeout, Inner City Press asked the representative of Qatar if any of the other Council members had questioned the authenticity of the joint communiqué.

"I wouldn't not like to comment on that," Qatar's representative said. Similarly, the Ambassador of Sudan, major AU member, said he would not take any questions about Somalia.

The BBC's story about the communique quotes African Union chairman Alpha Oumar Konare. The BBC has not run any retraction. Finally Inner City Press asked the charge d'affaires of the Baidoa-based Transitional Federal Government of Somalia if it was his position that the AU / IGAD / Arab League communiqué was somehow illegitimate. The response began with obligatory praise for the leaders of each group, including Mr. Konare, as well as of the OIC. Then this statement: "I have seen that communique. It is the point of voice of the three organizations. It is not the point of view of the member states."