At
UN
on Sri Lanka,
Ban Ki-moon
Didn't Even
Submit Panel
Report to
Geneva, "Could
Still Happen"
- But When?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 15,
updated with
transcript --
Asked about an
editorial
accusing UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon of
being "lax" on
countries such
as Sri
Lanka, Ban's
acting deputy
spokesman
Farhan Haq on
Monday
countered
that Ban had
"on his own
authority
appointed a
Panel of
Experts"
on Sri Lanka.
Inner
City Press
asked if
Ban had even
transmitted
the Panel's
report to the
Human
Rights Council,
and if he
finds it
unfortunate
that the Human
Rights
Council did
not take up or
act on the
detailed
report.
Haq
replied that
the Panel's
report has
"not been
formally
submitted by
Secretary
General at
this stage
although that
could still
happen in the
future."
Earlier
this
month,
representatives
of a number of
member states
asked Inner
City
Press why Ban
never
transmitted
the Panel's
report to the
Human
Rights
Council. "This
sent a
message," one
representative
told Inner
City Press
with a shake
of the head,
"that Ban
doesn't really
want action on
his own
report."
The
representative
went on to
marvel that
Vijay Nambiar,
who was
involved in
the white
flag killing
described in
the Report,
has been
allowed to
play any
role in the
review and
(in) action on
the Report.
Ban & his
Special
Adviser
Nambiar,
Report to
Geneva not
shown
Now
some in the
Ban
administration
imply that the
report has
been held
back. For
leverage or
due to a lack
of commitment?
One Ban
administration
representative
told Inner
City Press, on
condition of
anonymity due
to fear of
retaliation
and firing,
that if Ban
has any
leverage, he
would use it
for "more
pressing"
topics than
Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile
Ban's
Office of the
Spokesman is
reducing
question and
answers by 40%
by
canceling noon
briefings;
lead spokesman
Martin Nesirky
will only
return on
August 29, if
then. Ban has
returned from
South Korea,
but
will try to
take this week
off.
An
article
in the
Canadian press
about the cut
back in
question and
answer time
quoted
Inner City
Press asking
Haq "How did
you decide to
say that
journalists
here want less
information
rather than
more?" and an
unnamed UN
official that
the "coming
week looks to
be pretty
calm."
Watch this
site.
From
the
UN's
transcription
of its August
15, 2011 noon
briefing:
Inner
City
Prss: There is
an editorial
in the
Guardian that
came out over
the weekend,
called “United
Nations: Weak
leaders
wanted”, and
it
is, one of the
lines is:
“China, Burma,
Sri Lanka have
benefited
from Mr. Ban’s
lax hand. To
save his
legacy he must
refresh his
top team with
people who
understand the
UN’s
principles.”
What’s
the UN, what
does it think
of this
editorial and
is there a
plan to
actually make
some kind of a
shake-up; not
necessarily
obviously in
response to
this
editorial, but
what’s the
response to
that
analysis that
weakness on
Sri Lanka,
Myanmar, et
cetera, have
stained
the UN’s
legacy?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson
Farhan Haq:
First of all,
as you will no
doubt
be unsurprised
to learn, I
don’t agree
with that
particular
evaluation. On
Sri Lanka, for
example, the
Secretary-General,
acting
on his own
authority, did
create a Panel
of Experts
under the
leadership of
Marzuki
Darusman,
which came out
with a report
which to
this day is
one that we
believe is
worthy of
study and
further action
from Member
States. We do
believe that
there are many
issues on
which the
Member
Governments of
the United
Nations
themselves
need to
take action.
But on cases
where they
have not done
so, as you
know,
the
Secretary-General
has taken it
upon himself,
as in Sri
Lanka, and
indeed as in
his own good
offices
efforts in
Myanmar.
Beyond that,
you’d also
asked about
whether there
would be a
shake-up. Of
course, there
is no point or
intention to
do any
shake-up in
reaction
to any
editorial or
indeed any
articles here
or there. But
the
Secretary-General,
as you are
aware, will be
starting his
second term
in office in
January. And
he does expect
to make
different
moves and
reinvigorate
and revitalize
his team for a
second term.
Inner
City
Press: Just
one follow-up
on that, just
on the Sri
Lanka side,
because I
guess there is
a sort of a
difference of
opinion. Did
the
Secretary-General
ever transmit
that report to
the Human
Rights
Council? I
mean, more
just directly,
does he think
it is
unfortunate
that action
wasn’t taken
in this
session, all
of which took
place
after the
report was
released? Did
he ask them to
take action or
is
there some
future goal to
transmit it?
Acting
Deputy
Spokesperson
Haq: First of
all, as you
know, the
report is a
public
document. It
has not been
formally
submitted to
the Human
Rights Council
by the
Secretary-General
at this stage,
although that
could still
happen in the
future. Right
now, what we
expect and
hope
to see is that
concerned
Member States
who are now
appraised of
the
contents of
that report
will take it
up and push
for something
further. As
you know, the
report has a
number of
recommendations,
including for
further
investigation
and for
further
efforts at
accountability.
And we believe
that they need
to be taken up
very
seriously.
* * *
, 
