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On N. Korea, UN's Ban Has No
Comment, No Control Over "UN Command," Planes Threatened
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED
NATIONS, March 7 -- The UN's
interactions with the Koreas, always opaque, have become even more so
under Ban
Ki-moon, the first South Korean UN Secretary-General. His tenure began
with
questions about the UN Development Program's payments to the Kim
Jong-il
government in North Korea. Two years on, with North Korea threatening
to shoot
down South Korean airliners and to test another long range missile, Mr.
Ban has
no comment.
At the UN noon briefing on
March 2, Inner City Press asked Ban's Deputy
Spokesperson Marie Okabe, as a follow-up to media reports of talks
between
North Korea and the "United Nations Command," about Ban's political
engagement with the Korean peninsula --
Question: Marie, would you have
anything more on those talks between the [US-led UN Command] and North
Korean
officials?
Deputy Spokesperson Okabe:
No, I do not. We obviously are monitoring closely what goes on on
the
Korean peninsula, and as I mentioned, the Korean peninsula did come up
today
between the Secretary-General and the Secretary of State of the United
States. I could ask for a further readout if you like.
Inner City Press: Just a
follow-up to that. There was a story last week saying that there
had been
a plan to send Lynn Pascoe and a team of others from the UN in early
March to
North Korea, but then North Korea cancelled that. Is that true or
not
true?
Deputy Spokesperson Okabe:
I had some guidance on that for you. The United Nations has been
working
with the Permanent Mission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
to
revive the dialogue channel between the DPRK, which was suspended four
years
ago following Mr. Maurice Strong’s resignation.
The dialogue is proceeding
smoothly through the Department of Political Affairs. No
particular
program for a visit to the DPRK has been set at this point and the
consultation
is ongoing. That’s what I have for you.
But on
March 6, when Inner City Press asked
follow-up questions to Ms. Okabe's colleague Michele Montas, there was
more,
including a late-offered statement that Ban and the UN have no control
over the
"United Nations Command," but a continued no-comment on North Korea's
actions.
UN's Ban speak to media in S. Korea,
comment N. Korean threat to planes not shown
From the March
6 noon briefing transcript --
Inner City
Press: Michele, North Korea has said that it can’t guarantee the safety
of
South Korean airliners that fly over it. This thing that keeps
being
called the UN Command, the United States-led UN Command has had some
comment on
it. First, I want to know if the Secretariat has any comment on
what is
viewed as a breach of international law; one country threatening
another
country’s airliners. And two, could you describe what is the
relationship
between the United Nations Secretariat and this UN Command that’s
between South
Korea and North Korea? Does Ban Ki-moon--
Spokesperson Montas: Well, it’s a body that’s been there for
quite a few
years right now, and we would have to bring your question to DPKO
[Department
of Peacekeeping Operations].
[The Spokesperson later clarified that the United Nations Command is
not a
United Nations operation. Its name comes from the fact that it
was formed
after the Korean War in 1953 under Security Council resolution 82,
which
authorized United Nations Member States to provide military forces for
the
border.]
Inner City Press: Does he have any response?
Spokesperson Montas: The Secretary-General, at this point, no.
But
when
will he? Ban is slated to be in Washington March 10 and 11. Watch
this
site.
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