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On Myanmar, UN's Ban Says He Can't Speak, Press Must Fight for Access Even to Ministers

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 27, updated -- A year after monks were beaten in the streets by Myanmar's military government, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon convened a Saturday meeting of his Group of Friends of Myanmar in the basement of the UN. He was scheduled to speak to the Press about Myanmar after the meeting, at 12:45 pm. But at 9:50 am, Ban's Spokesperson announced that his press availability was being cancelled.

  It was explained that Ban could not speak until a statement had been agreed on. To some this seemed strange. Previous Secretary General Kofi Annan, for example, would speak to the press on his way in and out of meetings and in the hall, particularly if human rights were involved. Another rationalizer of the cancellation of Ban's press availability proffered that his schedule was too tight. But between a 11:10 meeting with Jose Ramos-Horta of Timor-Leste there was only the Myanmar meeting, until a 3:40 p.m. meeting with Foreign Minister of Algiers.

   Several UN correspondents interested in Myanmar then sought to at least gain access to the area in front of the meeting room, so that if attendees of the Friends of Myanmar meeting wanted to speak to the Press, about the meeting or the anniversary of the crushed Saffron Revolution, they could. But the journalists were told that since Ban cancelled his press availability, they would not be allowed to stand by the meeting room, even behind metal barricades.  [See update below.]

Ban Ki-moon and Myanmar minister on Saturday, press availability not shown

   Advocacy was made; various UN officials said that it was others, not them, that had the power to restore press access to the area in front of the meeting room. Reporters including Inner City Press were blocked by UN Security and watched as a flotilla of foreign ministers swept down an escalator and into the meeting room. "We're getting screwed," one of the reporters said. "This is like what Than Shwe does in his new capital in the middle of the jungle."

  Whether that statement, not by Inner City Press, is hyperbole or not, it is undeniable that the sequence of events, the cancellation of Ban's press availability and then the barring of reporters from the area, would make it more difficult to cover the Myanmar issue, and might even result in some publications not running a story they otherwise would have. Such stories inevitably would mention the widespread analysis that Ban's envoy Ibrahim Gambari's most recent trip to Myanmar, during which he met with neither Than Shwe nor democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, was a failure. Some surmise that this is the coverage that the UN Secretariat is trying to avoid.  For this supposition, they point to the UN's 19 days of silence after Gambari left Myanmar.

  After Press advocacy for access, the reporters who had waited by the security checkpoint were finally let through. Inner City Press asked French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert what he hoped to accomplish with the meeting. "The mobilization of the international community," he said. "The freeing of political prisoners." 

   In fairness, even if Ban had followed through on the promised press availability at 12:45, the press was only going to be allowed into the area in front of the meeting room at 12:30.  So, after advocacy, being allowed in, at 11:15 resulted in more time near the meeting room than had been promised. On the other hand, why would the UN decide that its Secretary General was unable to speak to the press about a serious human rights and humanitarian issue like Myanmar until some statement had been agreed to?

  Also in fairness, it may be that the UN has little leverage. But among its leverage is the ability to speak.

  Javier Solana of the European Union also stopped to speak to Inner City Press. "What do you hope to accomplish with the meeting?" Solana said, "To support the Secretary-General."

News analysis: But support the Secretary-General in what, with respect to Myanmar?

Update of 12:14 p.m. -- Now it's said that UK Minister Milliband will speak to the Press, at the stakeout access to which was won only through advocacy.

Update of 1:02 p.m. -- Singapore's Foreign Minister emerged to speak of signs of progress and the need for economic development in Myanmar. Inner City Press asked if Ban should go to Myanmar if Aung San Suu Kyi is still under house arrest. He said that the correcting timing of a Ban visit must be carefully considered, but would not give more details. "Let me go back into the meeting," he said. The UK has confirmed that Milliband will speak. What will he say when asked when and if Ban should go to Myanmar?

  On the sidelines, a Deputy Permanent Representative of an ASEAN member state, also member of the Group of Friends, laughed when told Ban thought he couldn't speak on the issue until the Group had a statement, and said, of course he can speak, he was probably asked not to, pointing out that Ban met with Myanmar's foreign minister at 9:40. (At 9:50 Ban's 12:45 press availability was cancelled.)

Update of 1:42 p.m. -- After Ban Ki-moon walked waving by the reconstituted stakeout at which the Singaporean and UK Ministers spoke, his Spokesperson's office issued a statement, which did not allow for any questions or answers. But here it is, in full:

Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for Secretary-General

on the High-Level Meeting of the Group of Friends on Myanmar

      Today, the Secretary-General convened and chaired the first high-level meeting of the Group of Friends of the Secretary-General on Myanmar.  This was the sixth meeting of the Group since it was established in December 2007.

      The Secretary-General thanks all the Friends for their high-level participation in a useful and constructive discussion. He also welcomes the participation by the Ministers from several concerned countries as well as by the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations [ASEAN] and the High Representative of the European Union [EU], in today’s meeting. This is a clear signal of the importance that the international community attaches to the situation in Myanmar.

      The members of the Group were unanimous in expressing their continued strong support for the Secretary-General’s good offices and for its implementation through his Special Adviser, Mr. Ibrahim Gambari.

      While noting the recent actions taken by the Government of Myanmar, members of the Group also further encouraged it to work more closely with and respond more positively with the United Nations good offices to address key issues of concern to the international community, especially the release of political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and the initiation of an all-inclusive dialogue between the Government and the opposition.

      Members of the Group encouraged all parties in Myanmar to seize the opportunity of the UN good offices, while stressing the responsibility of the Myanmar Government to demonstrate its stated commitment to cooperation with the good offices through further tangible results.

                                                New York, 27 September 2008

 Watch this site, and this Sept. 18 (UN) debate.

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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

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