Araud
Is Quoted
Mistral
Warship Sales
to Russia
Continue, Off
Record Games
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
May 3 -- In
the past week
French
Ambassador
Gerard Araud
declared a
question and
answer session
at a Manhattan
law firm to be
off
record, though
that was never
said in the
solicitation
to come for
the cost of
$20.
Inner
City Press
went to the event,
intending to
ask Araud to
reconcile his
florid speeches
on Ukraine in
the Security
Council with
France's
continued sale
of Mistral
warships to
Russia, a
question Araud
previously
refused to
answer at the
Council
stakeout.
But in the
same week
Araud was quoted
by name in La
Croix and
elsewhere as
saying to
reporters that
the Mistral
sale continues,
is not
impacted by
sanctions "'les
Mistral ne
sont pas
concernés par
les
sanctions,' a
assuré Gérard
Araud,
représentant
permanent de
la France
auprčs de
lOnu." Click
here for La
Croix.
It is
mysterious,
Araud
unilaterally
pulling a bait
and switch
at the $20 law
firm event and
calling it off
the record,
then being
quoted on the
record
bragging of
Mistral sales.
This is not
like Spanish
actor Javier
Bardem quoting
Araud as
calling
Morocco
France's
"mistress" on
the Western
Sahara issue,
then Araud denying
it and talking
about filing a
lawsuit (which
he hasn't
filed yet) -
this is a
direct quote,
in at least
two publications.
Inner City
Press
previously got
an answer from
US State
Department
deputy
spokesperson
Marie Harf on
the US' view
of France's
Mistral sales
to Russia.
From the
State
Department's
March 14, 2014
transcript:
Inner
City
Press: on
Ukraine, one
question
thats come up
is, in terms
of
sanctions is
France has
this big deal
where its
selling
Mistral
warships to
Russia, and
its said that
its going
forward. What
does the
United States
think of that
sale of
military
hardware?
MS.
HARF:
Well,
decisions
about these
kind of sales
are obviously
a
matter for
each sovereign
state to take
into account
including a
host
of factors
obviously,
international
law, regional
stability. We
would hope
that any
country would
exercise
judgment and
restraint
when it comes
to
transferring
military
equipment that
could
exacerbate
tensions in
any conflict
region. In
general, I
think that
certainly
applies here.
As Araud nears
the end of his
time at the
UN, there are
many questions
he should be
asked but has
been avoiding.
For example,
if his
speeches about
Russia in
Ukraine are
France's
position, why
is the French
sale of
Mistral
warships to
Russia still
going forward?
Inner City
Press asked
this at the UN
Security
Council
stakeout but Araud
declined to
answer.
And as
simply another
example while
Araud claims
to have taken
no position to
oppose
a human rights
monitoring
mechanism in
Western
Sahara, this
is called into
question
by an answer
he gave Inner
City Press in
2013, when he
still answered
Press
questions,
about
bilateral
dialogue with
Morocco being
the best way.
Many beyond
Inner City
Press find
Araud's
position
unclear, or as
some put it,
hypocritical.
So
when publicly
on Twitter
there appeared
an opportunity
to ask
questions to
Araud, albeit
for $20, Inner
City Press
signed up, to
"welcome
Ambassador
Gérard Araud,
Permanent
Representative
of France to
the United
Nations, to
discuss French
priorities at
the United
Nations. Araud
will address
efforts to
allow UN
Security
Council action
regarding the
crisis in
Syria, as well
as French and
UN initiatives
to allow
stabilization
in the Central
African
Republic and
in Mali."
Nowhere did it
say it was on
background or
off the
record. The
money was
accepted,
confirmation
sent.
And on May 1,
after a UN
briefing about
the Central
African
Republic,
Inner City
Press rushed
up to the
venue, in a
second floor
law firm
conference
room in the
Citigroup
building.
Inside
the audience
was affluent,
business
people in
suits. There
were oatmeal
raisin cookies
and at a
conference
table, Araud
was answering
questions.
Then he said,
repeatedly,
"This is off
the record."
Is it
legitimate?
Why would one
publicize an
appearance and
Q&A by
Araud, for
money, with no
mention of its
being off the
record -- and
then make it
off the
record? Why
was Araud's
spokesperson
Frederic Jung
there for this
"off the
record"
Q&A with
business
people?
In
Washington
last Friday,
John Kerry
spoke at the
Trilateral
Commission
under
announced in
advance off
the record
rules, but a
tape was
obtained and
the rest is
history. Here,
the event was
never said in
advance to be
off the
record, and
money was
accepted.
While
Inner City
Press and the
Free
UN Coalition
for Access,
which has asked UN
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric to
convey to
Araud and his
presumptive
successor
Jacques
Audibert
the UN's
stated
position that
correspondents
should be
treated with
respect --
this after
Araud on the
record and on
camera told a
reporter, not
this one, that
"You are not a
journalist,
you are an
agent" --
fully support
the reporting
on Kerry's
Trilateral
talk, in this
report there
are no quotes.
But there are
questions.
Watch this
site.
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