UNITED NATIONS, August 1 -- When troops of one country invade another, what does the UN do? It depends

In the face of widespread reporting of Ethiopian troops in Somalia, Inner City Press has for the last two days asked Kofi Annan's spokesman's office for confirmation and comment on this fact. Monday the response was that the UN "is not in the position" to ascertain whether there are Ethiopian soldiers in Somalia.

Tuesday the spokeswoman quoted Kofi Annan's envoy to Somalia Francois Lonseny Fall "at the IGAD meeting in Nairobi" on the importance of continuing the "dialogue between the Transitional Federal Government and the Supreme Council of Islamic Courts." Given that the TFG had in the past 24 hours postponed the dialogue in Khartoum for at least 15 days, Inner City Press asked what Mr. Fall was referring to, whether it took into account the postponement and the further defection of ministers from the TFG cabinet.   "He's aware of press reports," the spokesman answered.

Among the members of the regional group IGAD are Ethiopia and Eritrea. So Inner City Press asked, did Francois Lonseny Fall at least at the meeting ask the Ethiopian representative if his country's troops have cross into Somalia?   "I have his statement," was the answer. And nothing more to say? Apparently not.

In the UN's blind spot

The next part of the noon briefing, much longer -- one wag said "disproportionate" -- concerned events in Lebanon. It was said that three hospitals in south Lebanan have closed for lack of fuel. Inner City Press asked for the hospitals' names and locations, beyond Bint Jbeil, and asked for more information on the attack on the UN's building in Beirut. The spokesman emphasized that the Lebanese government and Hezbollah both appealed to the crowd to stop the attack. There were no injuries, he said. The staff had been evacuated. The scope and cost of material damage has yet to be assessed.

And what of the less tangible damage to the United Nations' image? At UN Headquarters Tuesday, the mood was slow and languid. Drifting out from the Security Council were the U.S. Jackie Sanders and the income Council president, the Ambassador of Ghana. Maybe later this week, both in essence said. Maybe.

What if the Council has a building in Beirut? The operational side of the UN is not paralyzed. The World Food Program is charged with getting fuel into Beirut. Twenty-five WFP staff were in fact in the building in Beirut was it was attacked. Monday's New York Times spoke of the U.S. teetering on the brink of a public relations disaster. But the U.S. has stronger building, further set back from the street. The UN Secretariat brings out the big guns on Lebanon, without as yet effect. On another invasion, and the crisis in Somalia, very little is said or done.

  Monday the spokesman's office referred Inner City Press, on the current question of the TFG's allegation that Egypt, Libya and Iran are supporting the Islamic Courts Union, to a months-old experts report on sanctions violators, S/2006/229. The report describes arms shipment to the warlords and TFG; only Eritrea is presenting at supporting what the report calls militant Islamic fundamentalists. According to the report, Ethiopia drove 10 trucks to Jowhar, including 2000 AK-47s and 100 rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers. Yemen provided the TFG with 15 Toyota Land Cruiser pickup trucks, to be converted into technicals. The report refers to "clandestine third-party involvement in Somalia" in support of the "Alliance for Peace Restoration and Combat Against Terror," APRCT. The report states that the "Monitoring Group did not specify third-country involvement because at the time of the writing of the present report it had not completed its investigation." And now? Francois Lonseny Fall, where are you?

Fewer questions exist about William Lacy Swing, at least tomorrow. At 2 p.m. Wednesday in New York, Mr. Swing will appear on a video screen on the 32nd floor of UN Headquarters. With new allegations of fraud in the elections, and outstanding questions about the incorporation of warlords into the Congolese army and the quickly-released and now-apparently-ongoing investigation into the events at the village of Kazana, here's hoping that the video hook-up stays strong.

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