Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the Inner City to Wall Street to the United Nations

At UN, As South Korea Brags of 2d Term for Ban, Press Excluded

UNITED NATIONS, March 4 -- With UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon still not having come out and said he is seeking a second term, he spoke on March 4 to the Group of 77.

  Inner City Press went to cover the meeting but was told it was closed. Looking through the glass windows into the conference room, UN Photo was visible inside taking pictures of this exercise in access if not accountability.

  But when Inner City Press stood in the hall, a UN Security guard said this was not allowed, and to leave.

Sources exiting the meeting said for example that the Permanent Representative of Egypt, Maged Abdelaziz, speaking on behalf of the Non Aligned Movement, complained of one million Egyptians trapped inside of Libya. There were speeches by India, China, Brazil, Ecuador and Morocco.

A Permanent Representative nonplussed by the prospect of a second term of Ban emerged from the meeting shaking his head. Earlier in the week he had complained, why is there not an alternative candidate?

The day previous, the Yonhap newspaper ran quotes from South Korea's Permanent Representative Park in-kook saying that there is already a consensus, “tacit approval,” for a second term for Ban.

Ban through a glass darkly, photo through window of screen (c)MRLee

   Inner City Press at the March 3 noon briefing asked Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky:

Inner City Press: there was this interview that appeared in Yonhap with the South Korean Permanent Representative to the UN, Park In-kook, in which he says — the headline is “UN tacitly agrees to reappoint Ban for second term” — and I just wonder, what does the Secretariat think of the article? It describes; I have also heard yesterday that there is some idea that a vote would be taken as early as June. I understand that this is a quote by Park In-kook, but does the Secretariat have any response to this article? Is it aware of it and does it think it is an accurate description of the state of play?

Spokesperson Nesirky: I think you can take it as right that we are aware of the article, Matthew. And the position has been stated many times on this question and I don’t propose to repeat it now. That has not changed.

Inner City Press: Are they writing; are you writing to Yonhap to… do you like the, I guess I am saying, well, I guess it’s just his assessment…

Spokesperson: First of all, it’s not a question of whether we like an article or not. There are many, many articles out there, Matthew, and I don’t think that we would be responding and writing to the esteemed authors of each article. I don’t think that’s necessary; do you?

Inner City Press: Just one last thing on this because there were some, there were previous quotes in this South Korean press by senior, it was called “senior Ban official”, Administration officials, saying please don’t list him as a candidate in South Korea; it’s not official, and that it’s not helpful. And this was recorded. So, there does seem to be some interplay. I just wanted to know…?

Spokesperson Nesirky: I am not quite sure where you are going with this, Matthew, but I think we have made the position clear any number of times — the Secretary-General personally, and me — and I don’t think that I need to repeat it here and now, all right.

But what is clear? Sources, including those unimpressed with Mr. Ban, say a move is afoot to have a fast vote to re-elect him as early as June 2011. But it is already March, and he has not announced. The goal seems to be to allow as little time as possible between Ban's announcement and a vote, having the effect of making it less likely of any other candidate emerging. We'll see.