At
UN, China Says It's Slandered, No Haiti Relations Due to Taiwan
By
Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, January 28 -- "China does not have diplomatic relations
with Haiti," a senior Chinese diplomat confirmed to Inner City
Press over spicy shredded chicken Thursday night at the Chinese
Mission to the UN. The reason is that Haiti still recognizes Taiwan.
"But
we search
our search and rescue," the diplomat continued. Inner City Press
informed him that the UN, earlier this week, told the Press that the
Chinese search and rescue team, after digging out Chinese casualties
under the Christopher Hotel, "returned to Beijing."
"That's
just a
rumor," the diplomat protested, adding the UN humanitarian chief
"John Holmes denied that." But UN Haiti spokesman David
Winhurst said that it was true, the Chinese "returned to
Beijing."
"We
don't
care that they think," another Chinese diplomat told Inner City
Press.
Inner
City Press
had suggested that whoever becomes the next Chinese Ambassador to the
UN make more of an effort of stating the country's position at the
stakeout, as for example both the French and American Ambassadors
have done in recent days. The diplomat shrugged. "If you want
clarifications or facts, you can call us. But we don't care what they
think."
About
the
International Monetary Fund requiring a reduction in size of the
"Chinese" deal with the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
the Chinese diplomat scoffed that it was a deal not by the Chinese
government, but "companies." He said of the Joseph Kabila
government, "They are sitting on riches but don't have the money
to dig them out. We provide that, and the give us minerals, like
copper."
He
added that the
Chinese deal with Guinea, right after the 2009 massacre, was by a
Hong Kong based company.
In Haiti, China's search, shredded chicken and
slander not shown
At
the Chinese end
of Security Council presidency reception on Thursday night, the
Permanent Representatives of such
Council members as Russia, the UK, Brazil, Mexico and Austria milled
around with the Sudanese counterpart. The US was represented by
Deputy Alejandro Wolff.
General
Assembly
President Ali Treki, with bodyguard, put in an appearance. There was
Moutai -- cut off when one reporter got too boisterous -- and
blackened pepper steak. "We don't care what they think,"
the diplomat had said -- but this did not appear to apply to, or
undermine, the Mission's hospitality. But African resource deals?
Watch this site.
* * *
In
Haiti, Chinese Team Dug Up Its Own and Left, UN Confirms, $94,000
Monthly Rent
By
Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, January 27 -- UN peacekeepers have been firing tear gas and,
according to eye witnesses, rubber bullets at Haitian aid seekers.
Meanwhile, the UN confirmed on Wednesday that the Chinese search and
rescue team which appeared so quickly in Haiti left just as quickly,
as soon as it recovered the bodies of its own national who had been
visiting the UN Mission, MINUSTAH.
Inner
City Press
asked MINUSTAH's David Wimhurst about the use of rubber bullets and
tear gas, which Wimhurst previously said he had not witnessed in Cite
Soleil on January 24.
Wednesday,
Wimhurst counted the Cite Soleil
"incident" as one of two uses of tear gas. He said the use
by the UN is under "strict rules and regulations" that are
"well established." Video here,
from Minute 32:31.
Wimhurst
said he is
"not aware of rubber bullets" being used, despite numerous
eye witness accounts of both Uruguayan and Brazilian UN peacekeepers
firing into the air. Inner City Press asked about similar reports of
peacekeepers leaving behind food and in one case a pile of radios,
which were then fought over.
Wimhust
said he was
"not aware of [these] being left behind," adding that
battalions take their equipment with them. But these are transistor
radios. Inner City Press asked him to confirm that the UN was paying
$94,000 a month for the Christopher Hotel, now collapsed. "The
number you mention is probably close to the amount," Wimhurst
replied, saying that Security informs him the Hotel was MOSS
compliant. Video here,
from Minute 12:15. We'll see.
Chinese search team in Haiti, recovering own and
ready to leave, per UN
Wimhurst
remained
silent when asked to explicitly confirm that the Chinese search and
rescue team left immediately after digging out its own national. But
when asked twice to name a single other place in Haiti where the
Chinese team had dug, he could not. "They went back to China,"
he said. Video here,
from Minute 10:02.
China
is this
month's UN Security Council President. We will be pursuing this.
Watch this site.
Footnote: The UN's
noon briefing on Wednesday, 15 days after the Haiti earthquake, was
limited to a video link to MINUSTAH, with no other UN questions taken
on any other topic. Some said that Spokesman Martin Nesirky was still
busy from having accompanied Ban Ki-moon into the Security Council
earlier on Wednesday. But his Office has other staffers.
While Ban
Ki-moon is slated for a stakeout on Wednesday afternoon, it is doubtful
that many questions can be asked. To some, this appears to be an
attempt by the UN to manipulate the press, to remain "on message," on
Haiti and Ban's Wednesday announcement, about Afghanistan. What about
Sudan? Somalia? Sri Lanka? Corruption? Watch this site.
* * *
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