Lamin: Thanks for the clarification. You've made it easier for me. -Laye On Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 3:16 AM, Lamin Darbo <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > YJ > > I thank you for bringing the news of Ousainu's Seattle meeting to on-line > Gambia, including the L, and the Mighty. > > What is Ellen anyway? > > On whether there is a "legal and diplomatic right" for opposition Gambia to > meet diplomats accredited to The Court of His Excellency Sheikh Professor > Alhaji Dr Yahya A J J Jammeh (the Professor), I simply take that aspect of > Gainako's piece as reporting an utterance by a member of Ousainu's > Seattle audience. It was an excessive statement, even if an innocent one. > Bambalaye is spot on that there is neither a legal, nor diplomatic right for > the opposition to access representatives accredited to The Gambia as > emissaries of their home governments. This is exclusive executive domain, > and the Professor has the mandate to expel any diplomat from The Gambia if > his presence is regarded as incompatible with "friendly relations". > > Under exceptional circumstances, diplomats may operate at the outer > extremes of permissible conduct, but even here, care and tact usually > controls. For example, the American Ambassador may attend certain court > cases in The Gambia but would still decline to comment on any aspect of the > matter, including why he attended. Even when the relationship no longer > matters, as in the case of Zimbabwe sometime last year, the American > diplomatic representative must have policy clearance from the State > Department, in consultation with the White House, before taking on Mugabe > directly. > > In the case of the Senegalese, and the Nigerian, ambassador, and high > commissioner, respectively, the nuances are more pronounced. Except as an > emerging, if controversial, international law doctrine in the areas of human > rights, and humanitarian protection, interfering in a country's 'internal > affairs' is a "no no" in international relations, and regular dealings with > opposition politicians by accredited diplomats to The Gambia may be > regarded, and legitimately, as 'interference'. Absent exceptional > circumstances, the UN Charter takes a very dim view of such 'interference'. > What pressures are brought to bear - and in the case of The Gambia immense > pressures at times - must be applied behind the scenes. > > In a nutshell, Bambalaye is right. > > I thank Gainako for its continuing excellent contribution to the > conversation for a truly democratic Gambia. > > > > > LJDarbo > > > > > > --- On *Tue, 29/9/09, Y Jallow <[log in to unmask]>* wrote: > > > From: Y Jallow <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: Some Foreign Diplomats won't meet the UDP > To: [log in to unmask] > Date: Tuesday, 29 September, 2009, 12:53 PM > > > > > Bro Bambalaye, > > > > Thanks for chipping in. I hope the whisperer in attendance at the UDP rally > whose utterance was caught and reported by Baldeh will at some point defend > his’, especially if he is here in Ellen with us. I also understand there are > bureaucracies involved greatly. No doubt, the dangers you asserted are > there, notably the then alleged abortive coup. > > > > In my own opinion, diplomats are there to serve the people. In the phase of > repressive regimes, great neutrality among the country’s citizens is a basic > common sense. Serving the people will mean not snubbing any including I, an > ordinary Gambian…much more a legal mind, or an opposition head in the person > of Lawyer Darboe. That’s why I like the American Ambassador and the US > embassy. They’ve tried to stay neutral, including attending court cases of > journalists. If truly as said by Lawyer Darboe that these embassies refused > to meet with him and his party, where on earth can an ordinary like me or my > poor Uncle in Jarra expect that they will listen to him. Probably, a curious > person like me will further question under which reliance of their reference > guide did they use to deny meeting with Darboe and the UDP. Once that is > established, then they shall be freed of blame. > > > > Where your line of thought is the adopted consensus, albeit weighing by the > experts in “bureaucracies” and “protocols” as may be defined by their book > of reference (embassy guide), then I promise to share a humble retraction of > such an error then openly, hence to Gainako’s defense, it was only the news > reportage as it was seen happening. I may agree in the final, the person’s > choice of word might not be perfectly fitting to usage, ditto: “legal or > diplomatic.” Therein, lies the inadequacies! > > > > Notwithstanding defense, we will make a follow-up as noted in the tail end > of the story and will make it available. Until then, I hope you will forgive > such an unintentional inadequacy. Further to conclude, Baldeh will report > and you all decide Laye...and you are fine by your opinion. > > > > Kind regards, > > yj > > *There is no god but Allah (SWT) and Muhammad (SAW) is His messenger. Fear > and Worship only Allah alone!* > > > > > > Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:18:57 +0400 > > From: [log in to unmask] > > Subject: Re: Some Foreign Diplomats won't meet the UDP > > To: [log in to unmask] > > > > "One listener said in private UDP or any other opposition party has a > > legal and diplomatic right to have an audience with other diplomats > > present in the country." > > > > Yero: > > > > The above quoted from the Gainako piece is not accurate. There is > > nothing like a "legal and diplomatic" right for any opposition party > > to have audience with a diplomatic representative of any country. It > > is a prerogative of the diplomatic representative who is there for the > > interest of his or her country, first and foremost, whether to grant > > such audience or not. I can see why they would take such precaution > > lest they be accused of meddling in Gambia's internal political > > affairs. Remember the Senegalese embassy was accused of being involved > > in the March '06 aborted coup....Where an opposition leader seeks > > refuge on the basis of being in danger and covered under the Geneva > > conventions, that is a different story. > > The point I wanted to make is that it may have been prudent for the > > embassies involved to not grant such audience INSIDE GAMBIA or > > anywhere else to UDP or any other opposition party. Mai Fatty reported > > recently that he made a presentation to various "diplomatic leaders" > > in Senegal but the report did not clarify whether they went to listen > > to him as GMC leader or a private Gambian citizen; or whether they > > recognized GMC as a legitimate opposition party in Gambia. I have no > > doubt Ousainou understands the intricacies and nuances involved and > > should have been advised to call a seminar/presentation in the open > > and invite all embassies like Mai Fatty did but it is wrong to say he > > has the "legal and diplomatic right to have audience....." > > Gainako on their part, could have done the piece a better job by > > researching the issue and offering the facts relating to the > > diplomatic protocol to clarify the options available to UDP at this > > point. > > > > Thanks for sharing. > > > > -Laye > > > > On Tue, Sep 29, 2009 at 12:32 PM, Y Jallow <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > > > > > http://www.gainako.com/news/news/2009/09/29/some-foreign-diplomats-in-the-gambia-refused-meeting-with-gambias-main-opposition-party-udp.html > > > > > > Holy cow...O Yes, what else can be done to bring mutual understanding > here? > > > > > > Are some of these Diplomats here? > > > > > > > > > > > > yj > > > > > > There is no god but Allah (SWT) and Muhammad (SAW) is His messenger. > Fear > > > and Worship only Allah alone! > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > > Lauren found her dream laptop. Find the PC that’s right for you. > > > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To > > > unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L > Web > > > interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html > > > > > > To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: > > > http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact > the > > > List Management, please send an e-mail to: > > > [log in to unmask] > > > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ > > > > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ > > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L > Web interface > > at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html > > > > To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: > http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l > > To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: > > [log in to unmask] > > ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ > > ------------------------------ > Microsoft brings you a new way to search the web. 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