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At UN, Ban Plans Climate Meet
in March with Obama, Sources Say, Africa Trip Awaits Rice, Saturday
Lights Out
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED
NATIONS, February 6, updated Feb. 10
-- On
Ban Ki-moon's signature issue, climate change, sources tell Inner City
Press a
plan is afoot for a mini-summit at New York in the third week of March,
slated
as Barack Obama's coming out party at the UN. It is timed to precede
the G-20
London Summit at the beginning of April. The US Mission to the UN,
which for
eight years conveyed George Bush's critiques of the UN, now negotiates
photo
opportunities beneficial both to the new President and Ban Ki-moon.
Update of February 10 -- Ban
Ki-moon in
response sought to diminish expectations, unprompted, during his
press conference on Tuesday, click here for
analysis.
Similarly, even the UN Security Council
defers in
its planning to the
new U.S. Ambassador. A planned Council trip through the Great Lakes
region of
Africa, slated for April, is now on hold pending confirmation with
Susan Rice's
schedule. "She is an Africa expert," a Council source told Inner City
Press. "We're waiting to here back from her."
UN's Ban and Obama on 2007 flight, carbon offsets not shown
Ban Ki-moon's senior advisor Kim Won-soo
alludes to
planned meetings
between South Korea's mission to the UN and Ms. Susan Rice. He was seen
trying
to pass unrecognized in the UN Coffee Shop, under the Visitors'
Entrance. He
might have wanted to wait until Saturday, February 7, when lights at
the UN's
Headquarters will go off from 7 am to 7 pm. Some how and for some
reason, Ban
Ki-moon with meet with Ms. Antonella Mularoni, Minister of Foreign and
Political Affairs of the Republic of San Marino
right during the time. The notice:
FACILITIES
AND COMMERCIAL SERVICES DIVISION
Power
Supply Shutdown , Saturday, 7 February 2009
Please
be advised that in order to perform urgent maintenance work and to
minimize
disruption to regular operations, the Facilities Management Service has
scheduled a shutdown of power supply in the Secretariat Building on
Saturday, 7
February 2009, as follows:
Partial
Shutdown - 7:00am to 7:00pm
During
this time, there will be lighting, power & A/C in selected areas
including:
38th
Floor
Secretary General 's Area only
SitCen
Entire Office
Server
Room (19th FL)
Elevators
2 Low Rise, 2 MidRise and 2
High Rise elevators will be working
Complete
Shutdown - 12:00pm to 2:00pm
During
this time, there will be no lighting, power, A/C or elevator services
except in
cases of emergency.
All
staff members who are required to be present in the office on Saturday,
7
February 2009, are advised to vacate the premises during the complete
shutdown
period. Inquiries regarding this matter
may be referred to James Mckiernan, Associate Buildings Management
Officer,
Plant Engineering Section/FMS. We
regret any inconvenience this may cause. Thank
you for your understanding and cooperation.
Clemens
M. Adams
Director,
Facilities and Commercial Services Division
So the 38th floor will have to rush from 2 to 3
p.m. to prepare for San Marino. Mr. Adams, we're told, was responsible
for the
rising of food prices at the UN...
Footnote: Ban's planned trip
to Tanzania, which his Spokesperson's Office declined to confirm this
week, was described to Inner City Press by Tanzania's Ambassador on
Friday afternoon.
Click here for Inner City Press' Jan
28, 2009 debate on the UN
Click here for Inner City Press' Jan.
16, 2009 debate about Gaza
Click here for Inner City Press'
review-of-2008 UN Top Ten debate
Click here for Inner
City Press' December 24 debate on UN budget, Niger
Click here from Inner City Press'
December 12 debate on UN double standards
Click here for Inner
City Press' November 25 debate on Somalia, politics
Click here for Inner City
Press Nov. 7 debate on the war in Congo
Watch this site, and this Oct. 2 debate, on
UN, bailout, MDGs
and this October 17 debate, on
Security Council and Obama and the UN.
* * *
These
reports are
usually also available through Google
News and on Lexis-Nexis.
Click
here
for a Reuters
AlertNet piece by this correspondent
about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click
here
for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali
National
Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an
undefined trust fund. Video
Analysis here
Feedback: Editorial
[at] innercitypress.com
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Other,
earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available
in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
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