Attack
on Charlie
Hebdo in Paris
Echoes in UN,
Partially So
Far
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
January 7,
updated -- In
the hours
after the
deadly attack
on the French
satirical
publication
Charlie Hebdo
in Paris,
statements
rolled in from
the UK's David
Cameron,
Canada's
Harper, the
White House
and
Scandinavian
countries.
France 24
linked this
last to the
Danish
newspaper
against which
this seeming
trend began.
But three
hours in,
where was the
UN?
At
10 am -- while
Ban Ki-moon
had still said
nothing --
High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights Prince
Zeid Ra’ad Al
Hussein said,
“I utterly
condemn the
appalling and
ruthless
attack on
media workers
and police
officers in
Paris earlier
today, and
urge anyone
who has
information
that could
help to locate
the
individuals
who planned or
carried out
this hideous
crime to
immediately
bring it to
the attention
of the French
authorities,
before other
lives are
lost."
A range of
countries'
Ambassadors to
the UN spoke
out on Twitter:
The
UN Mission of
Chile,
president this
month of the
Security
Council, said
"Chile
condemns
terrorist
attacks to
weekly paper
Charlie Hebdo
in París http://www.minrel.gov.cl/chile-condena-ataque-a-semanario-charlie-hebdo-en-paris/minrel/2015-01-07/114053.html"
At
10:22 am it
was announced
11:30am LIVE
Stakeout 2nd
floor outside
the Security
Council
Chamber
Ambassador
Cristián
Barros Melet,
Permanent
Representative
of Chile and
President of
the Security
Council
statement on
Paris shooting
(There
was still no
similar
announcement
for Ban
Ki-moon)
Then,
after
complaint,
this: "10:45am
or
later
TAPE
FEED
SG Remarks
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-Moon
will make a
statement on
the Paris
shooting."
Why
"tape feed"?
Why not do it
in the UN
Press Briefing
Room?
Update:
The UNCA president
told Inner
City Press,
citing "English
and Italian,"
that despite
only sending
notice of
Ban's remarks
to those who
pay his UNCA
money, all
were
"invited."
Inner City
Press asked
why Ban's
remarks were
not in the UN
Media Alert.
We have
nothing to do
with the Media
Alert, the
UNCA president
said. Exactly:
a private club.
Here
is a Free
UN Coalition for
Access upload of
the one minute
statement Ban
made, provided
to FUNCA,
here.
Update:
At the January
7 noon
briefing,
Inner City
Press for
FUNCA asked
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric why
it wasn't put
in the UN
Media Alert.
Rather than
explain, he
said it was
announced on
the UN's
in-house
"squawk"
system at 9:45
am. This is
rarely heard,
certainly not
to media not
physically
inside the UN
building, and
in any event
left a full
hour for the
remarks on
Charlie Hebdo
to be issued
widely in the
UN Media Alert
email. It is
very telling
that it
wasn't. We'll
have more on
this.
Italy's
mission to the
UN, meanwhile,
tweeted and
promoted a
photo of Ban
and the
(Italian) UNCA
president.
The
UN's special
rapporteur on
freedom of
expression
David Kaye
tweeted, "some
will urge
satirists to
exercise
caution after
horrific
#CharlieHebdo
attack. wrong.
right: broad
support for
free
expression/press."
The
US Embassy in
Paris said,
"“Despite
misleading
press reports,
there are no
plans to close
or limit
access to the
U.S. Embassy
in Paris or
other
diplomatic
facilities in
France. We are
open for
business as
usual.”
Lithuania's
Ministry of
Foreign
Affairs said
it "strongly
condemn
horrible
terrorist
attack in
#Paris,
CharlieHebdo.
Express
solidarity
with France,
condolences to
the families
of victims."
Jordan's
Ambassador
Dina Kawar
tweeted,
"Saddened by
the horrific
attack in
Paris. Our
deep
condolences to
the families
of the victims
and to the
people &
Government of
France."
Slovakia's
Frantisek
Ruzicka, chair
of the UN's
Fifth (Budget)
Committee,
said
"terrifying
start of
2015!"
The
Netherlands
said its
foreign
minister (and
former UN envoy
to Cote
d'Ivoire and
Mali) Bert
Koenders is "horrified
by attack on
#CharlieHebdo.
Shares grief
of victims,
expresses
solidarity
with French
people."
Israel's
UN mission
said that FM
Avigdor
Liberman
"sends
condolences to
French nation,
says free
world must
stand
determined
& united
in face of
terror threat."
The
UK re-tweeted
Philip Hammond:
"Appalled to
hear news of
apparent
terrorist
attack in
Paris. My
thoughts are
with the
family and
friends of
those killed."
That the UN
Security
Council will
issue a
statement is
near
inevitable.
The Office of
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon can or
should be able
to move
faster, since
fewer
approvals are
needed. But
where was Ban
Ki-moon?
Ban's office
put out a
statement two
hours after
the Charlie
Hebdo attack,
but it was to
“clarify”
Ban's
acceptance of
Palestine's
papers to join
the
International
Criminal
Court.
Before that,
Ban's office
had put out photos of him
smiling with
staff members
-- some
grumbled that
the UN
Staff Union
has
essentially
been broken
during Ban's
tenure --
and a January
7 similar or
worse photo
op with
correspondents
was planned,
or selectively
announced only
to those who
pay
dues
money to a
group whose
Board tried to
get the
investigative
Press thrown
out of the UN.
Are such
stunts
appropriate?
Will they
simply go
forward?
Watch this
site.
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