UN Geneva, NY battle over flotilla probe

Ban, UNHRC at odds over who should conduct the inquiry.

By JORDANA HORN
311_Mavi Marmara side (photo credit: Associated Press)
311_Mavi Marmara side
(photo credit: Associated Press)
NEW YORK – Conjecture about the UN Human Rights Council’s formation of its own body of inquiry to look into the May 31 Gaza flotilla incident was greeted with ambivalence by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s office on Wednesday.
The Geneva-based Human Rights Council probe, created by a council resolution on June 2, less than 48 hours after the incident itself, still has neither leadership nor members.
Despite media reports on Tuesday that Canadian Philippe Kirsch, who was a judge of the International Criminal Court from 2003 to 2009 and was the court’s first president, had been appointed to head the Human Rights Council probe, a spokeswoman from the council said no members have been selected, and specifically denied Kirsch’s involvement.
RELATED:G8: Gaza situation not sustainable EU ministers: 'End Gaza blockade'Gush Shalom questions credibility of flotillainquiry
“Mr. Kirsch will not take part in the fact-finding mission to look into the Israeli raid on the Gaza flotilla,” public information officer Claire Kaplun told The Jerusalem Post.
A representative of the secretary-general’s office said Ban continuesto advocate his plan for a separate flotilla probe, based at UNheadquarters in New York. The secretary-general’s office refused tocomment on the existence of a probe on the part of the Human RightsCouncil in Geneva.
“We don’t have a comment on the HRC probe,” the secretary-general’srepresentative said. “The secretary-general’s proposal remains on thetable, and we are hopeful of a positive response to it.”
As evidence of a noticeable rift between UN branches on the issue of aGaza inquiry, there is no mention of the HRC’s inquiry on the UN’s mainpress Web site.
The president of the Human Rights Council, Thai diplomat SihasakPhuangketkeow, is currently recruiting researchers and investigatorsfor the inquiry, and will likely appoint members by the end of theweek, Kaplun said.
The inquiry members will report on their findings to the Human Rights Council at its 15th session in September.