By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, July
16, more
here --
The departure
of Gerard
Araud from the
UN as French
Ambassador was
belatedly
confirmed in
June, more
than two
months after
it was
reported
by Inner City
Press.
Here is the
French
government
announcement,
saying Araud
would leave
July 15 to be
replaced by
Francois
Delattre,
formerly
French
Ambassador in
Washington.
But
on the morning
of July 16,
Inner City
Press witnessed
-- and photographed,
here --
Araud entering
the Security
Council. So is
this
formal French
announcement
not true?
The question
is asked in
part because
the switch from
Araud, one
hopes, will
bring press
freedom
improvements
at the UN.
Araud
and Delattre
have been
linked before,
on the
question on
who in the
French foreign
service met
about Western
Sahara
with actor
Javier Bardem,
after which
Bardem said
Morocco had
been called
France's
mistress.
First Delattre
was named,
then Araud -
who said he
would ask
Laurent Fabius
for permission
to sue. It
hasn't
happened.
Within the
French
diplomatic
service, it
was Jacques
Audibert
who was to
come to New
York in July
to belatedly
replace Gerard
Araud as
Ambassador.
Then it was
not to be:
Audibert left
his Quay
d'Orsay post,
including on
the Iran P5+1,
to become
Francois
Hollande's “G7
and G8
sherpa.” This
seemed to
leave Araud in
place - until
today.
On April
15, Araud used
the UN Press
Briefing Room
to tell a
Lebanese
correspondent
with whom he
disagrees,
“You are not a
journalist,
you are an
agent.”
The old UN
Correspondents
Association,
atuned to
Araud's
granting or
withholding of
access, has
“dragged its
feet” in
providing any
push-back,
according to
the
correspondent.
Since
December when
he was asked
for France to
be transparent
about how much
it is charging
the UN under a
“Letter of
Assist” for
air field
services in
northern Mali,
Araud has
resisted Press
questions. He
threatened to
sue about an
article using
an NYPD
document on
which his
mission had
been asked to
comment in
advance,
but chose
instead to try
to intimidate
against
publication by
saying it
would be a
“hostile act”
and access
would cease.
In
April, Araud
got combative
in essentially
denying what
other Security
Council
members
confirm has
been French
policy on
Western Sahara;
then he
declared a publicized
($20) question
and answer
session to be
entirely off
the record.
There's
more here.
Watch this
site.
, 
